Hell Bent Fourteen
by Bombshell Buttons
Summary: Ranger has risked his life too many times to count to keep Stephanie safe. Now it's Stephanie's turn. When Ranger's past comes back to haunt him the task is set on Stephanie to keep Ranger and his loved ones safe.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… J Enjoy!

Rated: PG-13 - Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing.

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen.

Category: Babe

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter One-**

In a perfect world I would be sitting in my apartment with a pint of Bunny Tracks and Ghostbusters playing while I suffered a mild tummy ache from eating the entire pint before I fell asleep on the couch in a sugar-induced comatose state. But that would be a perfect world and my world is anything but perfect. My name is Stephanie Plum and I work… blah blah blah. You know the deal.

Currently, I was sitting in the Bat-mobile with none other than Batman himself. We were watching a pale blue one story house off of Stark Street waiting for James Gonzalez, who was arrested for beating his girlfriend to within an inch of her life. He decided that going to court was beneath him and now Ranger and I had to show him what happens to bond violators. The only problem was that it was 1:30 in the morning and I hadn't peed since around 5 pm, when we showed up to stake out the house. I gave my 7-11 Big Gulp a glare and stuck my hands in my lap trying to calm myself. Ranger was watching the house with intense patience while I was squirming like a toddler.

"Sit still," Ranger said.

"You sit still!" I snapped back. I heard a low chuckle as Ranger laughed at me. "Oh yeah, you'll think its funny, until your car smells like urine."

"It's late. If Gonzalez was going to show he would've done it by now." Ranger gave way to what he calls a sigh and flipped his phone open. "Shift change." He didn't even wait for the person on the other line to respond and ended the call.

"Good to know I'm not the only one you practice your poor phone skills on," I said with a scoff.

"I can think of a few other things I could practice on you," Ranger said seductively without taking his eyes off the road. My heart started to race at the thought of being a sexual guinea pig for Ranger.

"Probably you shouldn't, seeing as my bladder is about to burst." Ranger pulled up to the 7-11 that had caused my problem in the first place and I dashed inside to relieve myself.

After the ordeal with the Dick and his partners last month, I decided to keep working for Rangeman. Skips paid the bills, but they didn't put food in my shelves or clothes on my body. Rangeman definetly had benefits. I could make my own hours, it paid well, I had insurance, and I was surrounded by gorgeous men all day. I hopped back into the SUV and was confused when Ranger drove to my apartment and parked in my parking lot. I was still in uniform and my shoulder bag and clothes were in a locker on Haywood.

"All my stuff is still at Rangeman." I barely got the sentence out before Ranger grabbed me to him, pulling me across the console to straddle him, and kissed me. Ranger's tongue traced the outline of my bottom lip, seeking entrance, and I opened my mouth in response. The kiss turned hot and our hands started exploring. He pulled back and looked at me with one of his hands still lost in my head of curls.

"If you come back to Rangeman, you won't be leaving," he said huskily and low in his throat. All I could do was nod. We sat there for another minute trying to catch our breath, just looking at each other in silence, but that silence spoke volumes.

"I don't have my keys. You'll have to let me in." Ranger started to move his thumb in small seductive circles on the base of my neck.

"If I go up with you, I won't be leaving." His eyes burned holes of passion into mine and I realized I was in quite a situation.

"You think you can control yourself?" I said playfully.

"You still with Morelli?" Ranger said seriously.

I climbed off of his lap into my own seat and sighed. This is what Ranger referred to as applying the pressure. We've been running this circle since he told Morelli he couldn't be trusted alone with me for even a minute. Ranger says something sexy, I play along, things get serious, and then he hits me with the monogamist inquisition. There isn't so much talk about this subject as there is Ranger making comments like, "I don't do second choice," and "I don't share."

"Ranger," I said it softly but with a bit of pleading in hopes he'd let it go.

"Stephanie," he said forcefully, letting me know he wasn't backing down.

I got out of the SUV, slammed the door shut and marched to my building. A few seconds later I heard another car door shut and footsteps behind me. I didn't need to look behind me to know that it was Ranger, I could feel it. He was hot on my heels up to the point when we got to my door. He leaned against the wall nonchalauntly waiting for me to ask for his help. But I knew Ranger and I knew what little his face did give away when it came to emotion. He was pissed.

I jingled my doorknob in hopes that I had left it unlocked, but I didn't. I shook it a little harder taking out my frustration on it. Giving up on it I grunted and kicked the door. I stepped aside, staring at Ranger and motioned to the door. He pulled a tool out of his utility belt and seconds later my door swung open. I walked inside and threw the door shut behind me only to have it pushed back open. The door swung hard and hit the wall behind it with a bang and it made me jump.

"Get out," I demanded. Ranger closed the space between us quickly, pinning me against the wall in the living room. He kissed me and I pulled away quickly. "Fuck you."

He kissed me again, hard and passionately. I immediately forgot I was mad at him and melted into him. One hand was fisted in his hair and the other, his shirt when he pulled away right when I wanted more.

"I'm not leaving." Ranger growled.

Oh shit…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… J Enjoy!

Rated: PG-13 - Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing.

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen.

Category: Babe

**Previously, on Hell Bent Fourteen:**

_"Get out," I demanded. Ranger closed the space between us quickly, pinning me against the wall in the living room. He kissed me and I pulled away quickly. "Fuck you."_

_He kissed me again, hard and passionately. I immediately forgot I was mad at him and melted into him. One hand was fisted in his hair and the other, his shirt when he pulled away right when I wanted more._

_"I'm not leaving." Ranger growled._

_Oh shit…_

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter Two-**

Normally in a situation like this I would pretend to get angry and stalk around before I lock myself in my bedroom and wait for Ranger to leave, but he had me pinned against the wall. So I stood there trying to decide what to do, because obviously I couldn't be trusted alone with him. I thought I saw movement in front of the open door but decided to pay more attention on how to get out of this situation. Bad idea…

"Manoso… Remove yourself from my girlfriend," I heard Joe say with a controlled voice. Joe was in my foyer with an overnight bag and he didn't look happy.

"When she wants me removed, Morelli," Ranger said without looking away from me.

"Cupcake?" Joe said angrily. I was doing a perfect impression of a fish while trying to find words. Any words.

"Give us a minute?" I said. Ugh, wrong words. Joe ran a hand over his face and looked positively pissed. I went to push Ranger away but he didn't budge. He leaned in close to my ear and I for a moment I thought he was going to start what we were doing before Joe found us.

"One day, Stephanie. One day you'll have to make a choice," he whispered softly. He gave me a kiss on the temple before pushing off of the wall and walking out of my apartment. As he passed Joe he made a small pause and gave a nod in his direction then went on about his way.

I gave Joe a small smile that was not returned. He dropped his bag in the foyer and made his way to the kitchen to grab a beer.

"Staying tonight?" I said lightly, hoping that there wouldn't be a fight.

"Business," Joe said casually. Alright, maybe he was going to pretend like what happened didn't just happen. I liked that plan. "I have to go underground for a while."

"How long is a while?"

"Dunno." He twisted the cap off and tossed it into the trash. "Looks like three weeks, could be longer if there's a snag." He ran a hand through his hair and leaned against my kitchen counter, taking a swig from the bottle. "Think you can manage?"

"Manage what, exactly?" I said haughtily, thinking Joe was talking about my job again.

"Keeping your hands off him," Joe said and looked at me like he had just asked me how the weather was.

"Morelli-"

"Stephanie, don't. I'm tired and I don't have time. I just came by to tell you I was leaving. But it doesn't look like you'll be sore for company." With that he set the bottle down on the counter harder than necessary, grabbed his bag and started to walk.

"So what is this?" I asked, confused. He usually ignored the relationship between Ranger and me. It wasn't like him to make smart remarks or address the situation.

"This is me telling you I'll call you when I get back."

I felt like he'd hit me with a brick. I'm assuming he noticed my face because his softened a bit. He stopped in front of me and slung an arm around my neck, pulling me to him.

"He's right ya know, one day you'll have to choose." He lowered his mouth to mine and the kiss was sweet and slow. He broke the kiss and held me a few seconds longer before letting me go and then he left.

I watched as Joe left and thought, "Yeah, but Ranger could be talking about me deciding if one day I'm going to take it into the bedroom…"

So here's how I thought this out. I had two options. Option A: I could analyze what just happened and try to figure out my love life or Option B: I could lose myself in sleep and denial.

Option B won out.

I awoke to the sound of my cell-phone chirping and looked at the clock. 9:28 am. I was half asleep and pissy because I hated it when someone tried to fuck with me in the morning. Everyone who knows me knows better than to call before noon. I grabbed my phone and flipped it open.

"Someone better be dead…" I said thick with sleep.

"Hey Sweetheart. We gotta lead on Gonzalez. Boss-man thought your pretty face would want the info." Ugh, Lester. Figures. The guys knew Lester was usually the only one that could call in the morning and I wouldn't kill. Probably had something to do with him constantly referring to me as a goddess…

"I'll be there."

"When?" 

"Jesus Lester, eight minutes and thirty-two seconds…" I said irritated. "Soon." He chuckled and disconnected.

I threw the covers back with a grunt and stumbled into the bathroom to take care of my business. I threw my hair into a half-assed pony tail, freshened up as good as it was gonna get, threw on a coat of mascara and called it good. There is never any variation in the summertime weather in Trenton. It's just always hot. So, I threw on a pair of jean shorts and a fitted t-shirt. I almost wore flip-flops before I realized I could possibly be running someone down today. "Running shoes it is then," I thought.

I made my way to my parking lot and hopped into the Rangeman issued SUV that every employee has rights to. So basically, Ranger was letting me use another one of his cars.

Two weeks back, I was parked on Stark Street, walking the street to get information on a skip, when one of the "working gals" decided to break into it and use it as her headquarters. I was really torn between getting it back or letting her just take it, considering she'd had it for two days when I found it. Do you know how many cooties were probably in that car by then? But I didn't have to worry about it because while I was arguing with her on her corner, her boyfriend chose that moment to drive by and discover that she was not, in fact, a dental assistant. Ten minutes and an aluminum baseball bat later, her boyfriend had reduced my cat to smithereens and then set it on fire. Big Dog won the bet on that one.

Lost in my memory of last week, I drove on auto pilot and before I knew it, I was turning on to Haywood. I parked in the Rangeman garage, gave the camera a little finger wave and made my way to the elevator, but stopped when it opened and Ranger walked out. He looked delicious in his "Business Ranger" attire. He was wearing a suit, which I assume was more expensive than what I pay for rent in a year, he had his hair back into a pony tail and one diamond earring stud in. There was five feet of space between us and I could smell his Bulgari shower gel. I started thinking about a naked Ranger when he interrupted my thoughts.

"Serious thoughts, Babe?" He did the one eyebrow thing.

"No. Yes, where are you going?"

"Meeting," he said casually. I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and throw some one word sentences back at him.

"Ok," I said cheerfully and headed into the elevator. He caught my hand as I bounced by him and pulled me into his chest.

"We need to talk."

"We're talking now, Ranger."

"Lunch," he said more as a question that a command.

"Depends, rabbit food, or lunch?" I let him pull me closer.

"Are you in the mood for something else?" He said, kissing my neck.

"Lunch it is." I pulled myself free from him as I got inside the elevator. I crossed my arms and looked at Ranger trying to look like I was unaffected by him until the doors closed and I gripped the railing for support while I fanned myself. "Good god, what that man can do to me…" I said out loud.

The day passed slowly after my briefing on Gonzalez. His girlfriend tipped us off that on Thursday he was going to be at Club Vibe, a fairly new club outside of the Stark Street neighborhood. He does all his drug business there and he planned on making a drop. Apparently he let it slip when they were having "I'm sorry I beat you 'til you were almost dead" make-up sex. But she's stepping in the right direction by tipping us off, so she must not be too interested in keeping him around.

I filled the time before lunch with Ranger by running background checks and putting together profiles from my inbox. By the time noon came around, I had been done for half an hour and was enjoying my sixth game of FreeCell when I felt someone hovering over me. I tilted my head back to see Ranger in his Rangeman uniform.

"Where'd "Business Ranger" go?"

"The closet."

"How many other Rangers' do you have in there?"

"Enough."

I nodded and realized that was all I was gonna get. Ranger took my hand and led me to the seventh floor to his apartment and into his kitchen. Ella had prepared lasagna for me and a salad for Ranger. I remembered when I was little and didn't want to eat something Mom had prepared and she always told me, "I'm not a restaurant, Stephanie. I'm not making four different things for dinner. You have to eat what I cook." Obviously, Mom didn't know about Ella's superhero cooking skills.

We made idle chit-chat as we ate, enjoying the comfortable silence between us when it was there. Finally, Ranger leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, getting to business. The talk. I hope this wasn't the talk I knew he wanted to have last night. I leaned back in my own chair and crossed my arms, mimicking Ranger.

"Ok, let's have the talk." I had been avoiding this talk for a month now and I was tired of running from it. Bring it on. Ranger smiled and shook his head indicating that's not what he wanted to talk about. Whew.

"I want you to come to Miami with me."

There I go, doing the fish impersonation again…


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… J Enjoy!

Rated: Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing.

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen.

Category: Babe

**Previously, on Hell Bent Fourteen:**

_"Ok, let's have the talk." I had been avoiding this talk for a month now and I was tired of running from it. Bring it on. Ranger smiled and shook his head indicating that's not what he wanted to talk about. Whew._

_"I want you to come to Miami with me."_

_There I go, doing the fish impersonation again…_

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter Three-**

"Miami?" I asked with big eyes as I leaned forward over the table making sure I heard him correctly.

"Yes." Ranger sat with the corners of his lips tipped up slightly, watching my reaction and obviously amused by it.

"Miami?"

"Yes."

"Like… Miami, Florida?"

"Babe." I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms again. Hmm… Miami. I wasn't going to Miami to catch a plane to a third world country was I? Ranger wouldn't really ship me away… I don't think. Ranger gave me a small smile to say as if he was reading my mind. "Only Miami," he said to reassure me he wasn't shipping me anywhere.

"Sounds serious," I said. I mentally slapped my forehead. For someone who was trying to avoid the relationship conversation I did a hell of a job insinuating there was one. Ranger slipped his blank face in place but I figured I might as well wing it, I can't run forever. "You serious about me?"

"It's not about me."

"That's not an answer."

"It's Julie's birthday next week. She made me promise I'd ask you to come to her party." Interesting. I knew that Ranger and Julie had been talking on the phone and e-mail since Scrog. Julie had recently been e-mailing me as well. And she told me he tried to explain to her that his life was too dangerous for them to get close. Sound familiar? I recall her exact response was, "Don't bullshit me." I also recall she was grounded for a week after Rachel heard her say it.

"Did you promise her you'd ask or that I'd come?" I was starting to get a little pissy thinking about Ranger promising to bring me a good chunk across the states without so much as a consideration for my opinion first. Maybe I hated Miami. Well… ok, so I didn't hate Miami. I'd never been to Miami. But it was the principle that counted.

"That depends on your answer," he said with a 200-watt smile which melted the anger in me. How did he always do that to me? I can never stay mad at him.

"I'll think on it," I promised. With the discussion of Miami over and no more lunch to pick at I stood and Ranger raised an eyebrow at me. "You didn't provide dessert. Therefore you have nothing more to offer and are not worthy of my time," I said half-joking. I really wanted dessert. I walked to the door and went to open it when Ranger took the hand that was stretching for the knob. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed my palm.

"I have something I could offer." He gave me the wolf grin and I decided to cut to the chase and take it where it was heading anyway. I pulled my hand away and rolled my eyes.

"I'm still with Morelli," I said sarcastically. There was an emotion written on Ranger's face but it was gone before I could identify it. I chalked it up to his being thrown off by having his own words thrown in his face and turned to leave.

I checked my desk to make sure there wasn't anything for me to do before I left and there wasn't. Once out of the garage and on my way I realized I didn't know where "on my way" was. So I decided to go to the office and see if Connie had any new files for me. It was 1:30 pm. Still early. I could probably get a skip or two in if I wanted.

I walked into the office and saw Connie was talking on the phone and polishing her nails "Fire Engine Red" and Lula was sitting on the couch flipping through the newest issue of "People."

"See you're back in Batman's pocket again," Lula said nodding her head in the direction of the SUV. I snorted and looked through the files on Connie's desk. "Well that ain't exactly you denyin' it huh?"

"It's a loner. I'm poor." I put a hand on my hip and glared at Lula.

"Guess I know when you ain't gonna honor the bond of friendship n' spill," Lula said disappointed and she pouted. "Humph." I felt bad for instantly shutting Lula down and threw her a bone.

"I'm working for Rangeman again. It's a benefit." Lula grinned and flipped her fuchsia colored braids behind her shoulder. With Lula satisfied I looked down and continued flipping through my files. "Hey, I've got Izzie Winters again. Wanna ride shotgun?"

"Hells yes. Not gonna miss out on this." Lula got up quickly and grabbed her shiny magenta shoulder bag that looked like it was from the 80's.

"Probably I'm gonna need sustenance if I'm gonna be on the job. Probably I'll need a burger. And fries." I nodded and suggested we get Winters first. Lula didn't put up a fight so we got in the SUV. I took Hamilton to Greenwood Avenue and parked in front of Izzie Winter's house on Mercer.

Izzie Winters was a few years behind me in High School. Izzie had the whole package, the boobs, the legs, the face and she had a brain. Izzie had Daddy's money, graduated from Princeton, and owned her own clothing boutique in Trenton. The problem was Izzie dated losers and she had a temper.

So when her boyfriend demonstrated what a loser he was she did something drastic and ended up in jail. Her charges were always dropped because eventually she ended back up in bed with the guy. I liked Izzie because she gave me a good discount at her store and hated Joyce Barnhardt. She even banned Joyce from her store. Therefore, I always went easy on Izzie.

We got out of the SUV and walked up the sidewalk to Izzie's front door and I knocked. "Go the fuck away!"

"She's nothing but sunshine today." Lula said.

"Izzie, its Stephanie and Lula." Seconds later the door was thrown open and Izzie's half-naked body stumbled back toward her kitchen. Izzie plopped down on a stool at her breakfast bar with a bottle of Jack. She poured herself a shot and clumsily took it, which was a sign she'd been taking clumsy shots for a while.

"Rough night?" Lula asked taking in Izzie's drunkenness and the fact she was wearing only bikini underwear and a tank top.

"Fuckin' A." She took another shot and I took the bottle while she wasn't looking. I didn't know where to put it so I just stuck it in my bag. "He took all my panties and my bras and gave them to some bitchass bitch."

"Is that her real name?" I joked.

"That's what I'm calling her," Izzie said with a wave of her arm and she almost slipped off the stool.

"How long have you been drinking, girl?" Lula took Izzie's face in her hands to hold it still but Izzie's eyes were still moving.

"How long haven't I been drinking?" Izzie took a look around to see where she put the bottle and gave up. She reached under the counter and pulled out a bottle of Tequila. "And the answer to that is… I don't know!" Izzie started to giggle and I took the Tequila too.

"I think you might've had enough," I said as I put the Tequila in my bag as well.

"I have had enough! Men suck." Izzie stomped her foot and raised her hand in exclamation. "They get what they want and push you away. Oh, hello! My name is Izzie. What's that? You want my vagina and then you'll steal all my 'roos and make off into the night? Well OK!" Izzie said. She handed Lula her purse and I helped her put on pants and a t-shirt over her tank top. "I set his house on fire, I might as well spend some time in the hokey," Izzie said drunkenly.

On the way to the SUV we passed the mailman and Izzie stopped and stared at him. "Fuck you, Mailman! You male man, you suck." He looked at us in confusion and Lula shook her head at him.

"Girls' night got a little too exciting," I said and he nodded like that was all that needed to be said. Izzie passed out on the way to Trenton PD so our trip from that point on was uneventful. Lula stayed in the car while I went in and got her processed and bonded out again. Izzie took a cab to a girlfriend's house and Lula and I drove to McDonalds.

Once we were settled in our booth we started to dig in and I Lula's face told me she just couldn't wait to start in about Ranger.

"You know what's gonna go down," Lula said. I sighed and dipped a fry into some sweet and sour sauce.

"Three questions are all you get, Lula." Lula sat back and crossed her arms.

"Does that mean I'll get three answers?" She raised her eyebrow at me.

"Do they have to be honest ones?" Lula looked at me and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go."

"You happy with Morelli?" She asked as she sucked the last of her strawberry milkshake. I meant to give her the most short and indirect answers as possible, but before I knew it I was saying exactly what I needed to admit to myself.

"I'm comfortable. I wish he would get over my job. If we didn't fight every other day about it, I think I might be happy."

"You in love with Ranger?" I bit my lip afraid that this conversation might bite me in the ass later.

"Yes," I said and my voice cracked slightly.

"So why don't you stop settling and give it a shot with Batman?" I had a flashback of our night together and then the morning after, when he sent me back to Morelli and my throat tightened and I felt my eyes water. I took a deep breath willing my eyes to stay dry.

"He pushed me away before, I don't think I could handle it if he did it again." We finished our meal in silence as Lula mulled over our conversation.

I pulled into the back lot of the office so Lula could grab her Firebird and get ready for her date with Tank. She opened the door and got out, but before she closed the door she turned to me.

"You know, your relationship with Ranger changed over time, Steph. Ranger changed over time. If you ain't outright asked, how do you know what he'll say?" She went to close the door but stopped again. "Also, don't you think it be hard for Ranger to talk commitment when he knows Morelli's in the picture?"

She shut the door and I sat baffled. This required my thinking position and a beer. So I went to my apartment and followed through with that plan.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… J Enjoy!

Rated: Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing.

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen.

Category: Babe

**Previously, on Hell Bent Fourteen:**

_""You know, your relationship with Ranger changed over time, Steph. Ranger changed over time. If you ain't outright asked, how do you know what he'll say?" Lula went to close the door but stopped again. "Also, don't you think it be hard for Ranger to talk commitment when he knows Morelli's in the picture?"_

_She shut the door and I sat baffled. This required my thinking position and a beer. So I went to my apartment and followed through with that plan._

****

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter Four-**

I jolted up out of bed wide awake and started frantically looking around. As my pulse calmed I realized it was only my phone ringing. I scoffed as I looked for my phone. Frightened to death by a phone, I thought. I needed to work on my nerves of steel. I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my phone and brought it to my ear.

"Yo."

"Hey, Cupcake." I heard Joe's voice on the other side and was surprised.

"Joe, I thought you were underground."

"I am. But I had a spare moment." I was confused because the last time we talked he said he wasn't going to call until he got back.

"What's up?" I asked casually.

"I missed you. Thought I'd give you a ring and see if you missed me too." I could picture his smile on the other end of the phone.

"You know for sure when you'll be back yet?"

"We got a big break so probably next week, week and a half at the latest." He changed his tone to rough and husky and I could hear the lust in his voice. "Got any plans for when I'm back?"

"Actually, I might not be here." I didn't really want to tell him about Miami but I'd rather tell him before hand than have him come home to find me missing. "I might be out of town for a week."

"What for, Cupcake?" Joe asked. His voice indicated he knew he wasn't going to like what I was going to say.

"I was invited to someone's birthday party, but it's out of town."

"Manoso's?"

"His daughter's."

"In Miami? That's where she lives right?"

"Yeah, it's next week." There was silence on the other end and I could tell Joe was trying to keep it together. If I were to be fair, I can see why. I wouldn't be happy about him taking a week to spend time with Terri Gilman and her family. But the difference is that Joe wouldn't tell me if that were the case. "She asked for me to be there. Julie asked, not Ranger. It's just a little girl's birthday party, Joe." I heard Joe sigh defeated on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I guess. It's fine. Have fun." Joe said shortly, but letting it drop. Most likely he didn't have the time he wanted to spend on the phone telling me all that macho-bull about "You are my girlfriend. I don't want you going away with another man…" and somewhere along the way complaining about my job. However, he chose the wrong way to go about letting the topic die. One thing you never do to a Burg Girl, take it upon yourself to give her permission for anything, unless you're her mother. I laughed sarcastically and shook my head as I geared into Rhino mode.

"Wait, you think I'm asking your permission?" I'm sure he knew I had my hand on my hip and my burg glare fully charged. I was hoping he could feel the effects all the way to where ever the hell he was.

"What? Oh, yeah. Ok." I heard him yell. But I had a suspicion that he was yelling to no one. "Well, my spare moment is up. Try to stay out of trouble, Cupcake," he said fast, trying to escape Hurricane Stephanie.

"Oh no, Morelli. You don't get to give me permission like you—." I heard a click and my jaw dropped. "Own me…" I finished to myself.

I felt heat seeping from my pores and I slammed the phone down. I couldn't believe he just hung up on me. Scum. He was Scum. I flopped back down on my bed glancing at the clock that told me it was 8:48 before I assumed my thinking position again. I started to think about the two men in my lives and I sighed disgustedly. My indecision was such a pain in the ass. Ranger. Joe. Ranger. Joe. It was driving me insane. I started to think about what Lula said to me earlier today.

I did feel like I was settling when I was with Joe. I loved him, I did. But it was comfortable, it was routine. We didn't do anything but watch games and eat pizza together. And sex, we have lots of sex. That didn't sound like life time material to me. And the amount of pressure Joe puts on me to quit my job bugged the hell out of me. He may not demand it of me, but I know Joe and eventually he would want me to stop "playing around", as my mother puts it, and grow up. And have babies. I shuddered at the thought. We fought about my job constantly. But Joe wouldn't consider quitting his job just because I worried about him. How can he expect me to do the same for him?

I started to think about Ranger too. Lula's words rang in my ear. Maybe Ranger wouldn't consider the possibility of us until he knew Morelli was gone for good because he was afraid too. And yeah, he has changed. His life has become less dangerous and he has been "applying pressure" where I'm concerned. I never have just came right out and asked him the questions I want answers to. But with no guarantee he'd answer them and honestly, I don't see my asking happening. He is my support and my encourager. But he keeps me at as much arms length as I do him. If what Lula said is true, that he's just waiting for me to be done with Morelli, how can he expect me to risk my heart if he isn't willing to risk his?

Maybe I need a pros-and-cons list… And that bottle of Tequila in my bag. That was my last conscious thought as sleep took over.

I heard a faint beeping sound near by that was threatening my sleep and decided it was evil. The next sound I heard was a loud thump from throwing my alarm clock across the room while I pushed my face further into my pillows. My mind slowly rose from its slumber and I threw back the covers remembering why I set the alarm in the first place. I had a 9:00 a.m. meeting at Rangeman to go over the details of the Gonzalez takedown tomorrow night. I sighed as I headed to the bathroom to do my business and get ready for the day.

I pulled into the Rangeman parking garage with five minutes to spare. I also had coffee and doughnuts. Today was going to be a good day. The meeting was pretty short and to the point. Ranger headed the meeting and recited all the information I already knew. The plan was classic distraction job for me. My only concern was about the fact that if he beat his girlfriend to almost-death, what would he do to me? I shrugged off my concern and headed to my desk to get started on any searches I had in my inbox.

About ten till noon, my cell phone started to vibrate in my bag and I fished it out looking at the readout before I answered.

"Hey, Mom."

"Stephanie, I am just calling to make sure you and Joseph are coming to dinner tonight." She said it as a statement instead of a question.

"Actually, Mom, it's just me." I grimaced waiting for the lecture.

"Honestly, Stephanie. How can you expect him to make you his wife if you won't even bring him to dinner!" I could practically hear her crossing herself over the phone. I heard a scuffle over the phone and then my grandma's voice flooded through. "Stephanie, if you aren't bringing Officer Tightbuns, why don't you bring the Bounty Hunter with the huge dong? If you won't do it for you, do it for me. I need my floor buffed if you get my meaning."

I almost choked on air when I heard what she said. "Uh, Grandma… I don't think that's something Ranger would be interested in. He's a very busy man."

"Poppycock. He'd come for you, then you can just pass him along to me."

"Mother!" I heard my mom yell in the background.

"Alright, we'll I'll be there at six and I'll be alone. Bye, Grandma." I tried to put emphasis on alone but I don't think she was really paying attention. I put my fingers to my temples and tried to rub the phone conversation from my memory but was having no such luck. A small smile played on my lips as I felt a familiar pair of eyes on me.

"Trouble, Babe?"

"Oh, if only you knew." I said, slightly laughing. "Family dinner tonight. My mother wants me to bring Joe, Grandma wants me to bring you. And I'm disappointing them both by going alone." I turned my head to see Ranger better. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and the corners of his lips turned up. He pushed off the wall and started walking closer to me.

"I'll go to dinner." I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Seriously." He looked at me and I could tell he wasn't joking.

"Why on Earth would you want to?" I turned in my chair with my legs crossed so I could face him. He held his hand out to me so I placed my hand in his and he lifted me from my chair, pulling me to him. He gave me a soft kiss before pulling back and looking at me with his wolf grin.

"I'll make you a deal, Babe."

**P.S.**

**Sorry for this chapter being so short. It's been a hectic week, but I didn't want to leave you all with nothing!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… Enjoy!

Rated: Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing.

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen.

Category: Babe

**Previously, on Hell Bent Fourteen:**

"_I'll go to dinner." I laughed and rolled my eyes. __"Seriously."__ He looked at me and I could tell he wasn't joking._

"Why on Earth would you want to?" I turned in my chair with my legs crossed so I could face him. He held his hand out to me so I placed my hand in his and he lifted me from my chair, pulling me to him. He gave me a soft kiss before pulling back and looking at me with his wolf grin.

"_I'll make you a deal, Babe."_

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter Five-**

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him with uncertainty. "A deal?" I asked suspiciously. Ranger nodded with his smile still in place. I took a step back to sit on top of my desk with my arms folded and legs crossed, trying to give off a no-nonsense vibe. "What kind of deal?" I was praying that it would be platonic, considering the morning after our last deal didn't leave me in that great of spirits... emotionally. Physically, I was flying.

"I go to dinner at your parents' tonight. You come to Miami next week." Ranger nonchalantly leaned against the wall waiting to hear what I thought with his blank face in place. I tapped my fingers on my forearms trying to think of exactly what to say.

"So, you did tell Julie I'd be there," I said and Ranger lightly chuckled. "You know, Ranger, I asked you to eat pot roast and pineapple upside-down cake. You're asking me to fly across the coast for a little girl's birthday party. We both know little girls' birthday parties aren't much fun for adults. You owe me more than dinner." I tilted my head to see if he'd take the bait while scolding myself for playing with fire.

"No, Babe, you're asking me to enter the Ninth Gate of Hell and I'm flying you across the coast to supply you with birthday cake." I pretended to think long and hard about my answer and he cocked an eyebrow while he waited.

"Well... Birthday cake. How can I say no to that?" I said innocently, giving him a palms-up shrug.

"Babe." Ranger said with the 200-watt smile and retreated back to his office. I shrugged my shoulders as if it was nothing. Just another day as Stephanie the Amazing!

My day went along at a normal pace. I did the usual background checks and profiling but after a while I started to get antsy. Not that it was boring per se, but after a while doing what I do it's hard to be surprised anymore. So I got up and made my way to the break room for my daily coffee break with Lester and Bobby.

"I'm telling you man, Ranger is serious. The map is blank and now information has got to be precise and perfect."

I rounded the corner into the break room and caught the tail end of a conversation between Tank and Bobby. Tank picked up his coffee and he headed out of the room. He smiled and nodded at me and I bumped into him playfully.

"Hey, Bombshell! What's the news?" Bobby said as he handed me a cup of coffee. I took it from him and sipped before I responded.

"The news is that there is no news. This well is dry, my friend." Lester walked in, got his coffee and slung an arm around my shoulder. "But I see your well is not dry, what's Ranger so serious about?" Bobby ran a hand over his face looking frustrated.

"A particular person Rangeman keeps tabs on in Miami is off the map and we can't get a location on them. We're pulling connections to try and get it locked down but the Miami office is getting worried. Ranger is thinking of sending the A-Team to do some serious recon," Bobby said, sounding a little exhausted.

"Poor Bobby," I said sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder. "You sound like you're beat." Lester nodded in agreement and gave me puppy dog eyes.

"Ranger has been riding us all pretty hard about getting the situation taken care of. He wants it done before he leaves for Miami next week. He said he's taking some precious cargo and doesn't want it in danger," Lester said, with a slightly furrowed brow. "He won't tell us what it is but it must be important for him to have us all nose to the desk here." I shrugged and sipped my coffee with a smile wondering if the "precious cargo" was me…

After about ten minutes of water cooler chat and talking gossip with the Rangeman gossip queens, I got back to my desk. There were four files left for me in my inbox. They were pretty cut and dry, short rap sheets and not a lot of information, except for the last one. The last one had a file that kept me busy for more than a half hour. I was surprised this guy was still on the streets, but it's amazing what a lot of money and good connections can do. I looked at the clock and decided that probably, I should call it a day before I increased my chances of carpel tunnel. I didn't work that hard really, but every keystroke ups the ante, I tried to convince myself.

I grabbed my bag and my keys and made my way to the elevator. Out of thin air, Ranger appeared beside me dressed for business and looking delicious in a designer suit and his diamond stud.

"Where's Business Ranger heading to?"

"Government contractor meeting. Leaving?" He stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the garage button.

"Yeah, I thought I'd stop by the bonds office and get Lula for lunch and see what the wonderful world of bounty had for me." The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. "I'll see you at dinner."

"I'll pick you up at 5:45," he said. He pulled me to him and kissed me before depositing me inside the elevator. I shook my head to get rid of the fog he had created in my mind and worried that if he kept that up we wouldn't get to dinner.

"I can just meet you-"

"I'll pick you up at 5:45," Ranger said again with a firm tone. As the elevator doors started to shut I felt an evil smile spread across my face.

"Ok, that's fine. You can sit next to Grandma." I flashed him a smile and gave a finger wave. The doors shut and the slightly furrowed brow, which is Ranger's equivalent of upset, gave me the satisfaction I was looking for.

My stop at the bonds office was quicker than usual. Lula was out to "lunch" with Tank, Connie was on the phone (it didn't sound work related, so she'd be on it for a while) and Vinnie was... Who cares? Connie nodded at me in acknowledgement and I mouthed "files" to her. She pointed to a stack on her desk, which I grabbed. I waved goodbye as I left and I heard, "Who cares if it spits like a llama? A penis is a penis, Marie." I got back in the Rangeman SUV and flipped through the files Connie had for me. Crap, crap and more crap, but it was easy crap. I had assault, drunk driving and a hell-of-a-lot of unpaid parking tickets. I thought briefly about just going home for the day. I work hard… Ok, well I work. I'm a good person for the most part. At the very least, I put my gum in the trash bins on the sidewalk instead of throwing it on the ground. That's gotta count for something. I heard Little John's voice in my head, "A toll is a toll and a roll is a roll, and if we don't get no tolls we don't eat no rolls." I made a mental note to stop watching Robin Hood: Men In Tights before bed and decided to take a crack at my skips.

I convinced myself that if I was going to go bad guy hunting I needed to refuel so I stopped by Pino's on my way down Hamilton. Pino's is the cop shop during lunch hour and today was no different. Everyone who is anyone knows that Pino's is the best place for pizza and nobody really cares about the rumored cockroaches as long as they don't show up in the pizza. So far it's Pino's - 1, Cockroaches - 0. The place was full of hungry cops whose wives had them on diets and cops who had no wives to cook or diet them. Almost every cop in Trenton knew me so my entry never went unnoticed but today the stares were longer and the whispers were more excited. Confused, I put my order in for a meatball sub and grabbed the phonebook as I made my way towards a back booth, away from the stares and closer to the kitchen. I was flipping through the phone book trying to find an address for the assault offender, Kyle Kiminski, when my good friend Eddie Gazzara took the booth bench across from me. He sat staring at me with a grin on his face and not saying anything. I made two short calls and got addresses for the drunk and the parking ticket bandit while I waited for my sub.

"Hey, Eddie." Eddie sat staring at me with a smile on his face. It was a little annoying, mostly because I don't play well with others on an empty stomach. "What do you want, Eddie?"

"A lifetime of free babysitting." His tone was so genuine I couldn't help but laugh outloud.

"I don't think so. Last time I babysat your hellions it took me two weeks to get all the playdough out of my hair and I had to replace my stun gun." My hand unconsciously touched my hair. Which had smellt like salt and children for two weeks. I wrinkled my nose at the memory.

"Yeah, you owe me $75 for the vet bill. That dog will never recover and we're not getting them a new one." Our subs arrived at our table and I ate faster than normal. I didn't want to chance a stain in the SUV that doesn't belong to me but I also wanted to get out of here before I got stuck babysitting. "Actually, word is out that you got handed Kyle Kiminski's file." I tilted my head and tried to raise an eyebrow. Unsuccsessfully, I'm assuming because all Eddie did was hand me a napkin. "Well… It wasn't so much that it was handed to you than it was that Kyle Kiminski requested his file go to you." Now I was confused.

"What the hell are you talking about?" His smile only got wider.

"Kyle Kiminski, Steph. 'Kyley Wiley' Kiminski. You don't remember do you?" He started to chuckle and it turned into a full belly laugh as my eyes widened and I reailzed who he was talking about.

"Shit… Shit. Yeah, I remember… His last name was Kiminski?" Kyle Kiminski was the typical computer geek in high school. He was a class below me and had a bright orange curly tuft of hair directly center on the top of his head and that was it. Everyday he wore thick rimmed glasses that probably blocked half his vision and suspenders complete with loafers. Even in gym. If Chuckie Finster had been a real person instead of a Rugrats cartoon, that would be Kyle Kiminski. Kyle used to work part time at the copy store outside of the Burg and compliments of Copy Quik, he used to leave copied photos of his genitals in my locker. My senior year his family moved to Queens and he sent me copies for a while through the mail. That is until Grandma Mazur opened one of his letters and sent him a copy right back. Of her. And her oogly bits. "Why did he request me?"

"He moved back recently and heard about Morelli and you. Guess he's curious." He picked at one of my meatballs left over on my plate and I slapped his hand away.

"What about Morelli and me?" I turned on the Burg glare and Eddie dropped his eyes to the floor.

"People are saying you and Joe split again." I groaned and rolled my eyes. That's why everyone is looking at me the way the are today. "Joe and I did not split up! He went underground, not to the land of singles only." Only in the Burg could gossip appear out of thin air.

"You're going to Miami next week aren't you?" Eddie, thought to have distracted me, grabbed again for a meatball and I smacked him upside the head.

"Gazzara! A, none of your business. B, quit trying to steal my meatballs!" He shrugged and looked like I had hurt his feelings. I popped the last meatball in my mouth as I sighed and gave into the grapevine. "I am going to Miami. As a favor to Ranger's daughter. It's her birthday next week and she wants me to be at her party." He gave me a skeptical look. "I just talked to Joe about it this morning. He's not happy but he under…. Wait, why am I even justifying this to you." I grabbed my purse and went to pay for my sub. Eddie followed me out to the curb.

"I'm just saying, Steph. You know how the rumor mill gets going," Eddie said innocently.

"Oh yeah?," I shot back sarcastically. "What else does the rumor mill say?"

"Clayton Jennings got Elise Strong pregnant."

"Really? Wow, I didn't even know they were toge-- Stop trying to distract me! What do you want, Eddie?" I got my keys out and unlocked the door and Eddie sheepishly admitted his intentions.

"I want an in here, Steph. I've got a lot riding on this one. Shirley is going to wipe the floor with me if she finds out how much I put on the table." I stopped dead in my tracks and scoffed.

"God, Gazarra, you're concern touches me deeply. Tell you what, when Joe and I break up, you'll be my first call. How's that?"

"When you break up? I just need a confirmation." He rocked back and forth on his heels waiting for me to tell him if he'd won the bet. I put my sunglasses on, got in the SUV and gave him a nice stiff middle finger.

"Here's your confirmation." I drove off in a huff. Honestly, I couldn't blame Eddie. Joe and I did the dance repeatedly so it's not hard to imagine we'd split again. We both have commitment issues. Well, fine. Ok, I have commitment issues. I looked at the clock and saw it was 1:30 pm. I decided to leave "Kyley Wiley" Kiminski for another day and go after the drunk and the parking ticket collector.

By the time four o'clock came around I had rounded up the drunk man who happened to be a woman who spent her drunken time belting out Tina Turner songs and the old man with 17 parking tickets who turned out to be a pervert and kept trying to see down my shirt. The good news is that I did it without any incidents. Normally people would say that's a good thing! But the catch is that the day wasn't over and I still had dinner at my parents' house. If my day went great then there's no telling how bad the dinner would be.

After collecting my checks from Connie and depositing them in my bank account, I had enough time to head home and spiff up the outfit and the make-up. I had to tell my mother I was leaving town with a man I'm not married to or even dating, so maybe I could score some points by looking presentable. I could always lie and tell her it's business… But she'd know… She always knows. She has a freaking lie detector hidden in that head somewhere. A thought then occurred to me, not only am I going looking presentable, I'm also bringing a man. In my mother's eyes I'm two for three, the third of course, being my job. But I think at this point in my life it's non-negotiable. If she were being honest, it'd be two for four. The fourth being a bun in the oven. I fluffed the hair, lacquered on the mascara, kept the jeans but exchanged the t-shirt and Doc Martens for a fitted burgundy top and black flip flops with a bit of a heel. I put gold hoops through my ears and BAM. There I was, ready to go. I had about ten minutes before Ranger was supposed to pick me up so I took the time to talk to Rex, listen to my messages and clean out my bag. I was contemplating whether or not I should leave the bottle of tequila in the bag or not when I heard the soft click from Ranger letting himself in my apartment.

**Author's Note:**

**Hey Guys! I know it's been forever and ever. I had a death in my immediate family and it messed me up for a while. BUT! I am on a path to recovery and with that comes this chapter. It's short but I'm already working on the Chapter Six and can't wait to start hearing from you guys again! Thanks for all the support! Enjoy!**

**Love,**

**Buttons**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… Enjoy!

Rated: Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen

Category: Babe

**Previously, on Hell Bent Fourteen:**

_I had about ten minutes before Ranger was supposed to pick me up so I took the time to talk to Rex, listen to my messages and clean out my bag. I was contemplating whether or not I should leave the bottle of tequila in the bag or not when I heard the soft click from Ranger letting himself in my apartment._

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter Six-**

The tequila bottle was weighing pretty heavily in my hand and I thought with what's ahead of me tonight, I could use a little help. I took a quick swig and put the bottle in the kitchen cupboard that I usually reserve for things such as tasty kakes and pop tarts. When I turned around I saw Ranger eyeing me with a grin.

"A girl's gotta use all her resources when preparing for battle." He gave a slight nod in agreement. I grabbed my purse and motioned toward the door but Ranger was quicker. He already had the door open and was waiting on me. Superman doing his superman-ly thing. I locked up my apartment and started toward the elevator but Ranger steered me toward the stairs with his hand at my waist. "Hello, sir?" I said sarcastically and pointed down to my feet. "Heels."

"Kiminski is in the lobby." Ranger's mouth tipped up at the corners and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Good enough for me." I turned on my heel. Fuck that, I was using the stairs. We got to Ranger's black Porsche Cayenne, buckled up and drove down Hamilton in the direction the umbilical cord was being tugged. Usually, I'm pretty calm and collected when attending dinner with the parental units. However, tonight was different. I had to tell my mother I was leaving for Miami, Ranger was going to be there instead of Joe and she'd want to address the rumor that Morelli and I split. All I could hope for was that Grandma had brought a date. Would that make the evening better? No. Would it take the focus off of me? Yes.

"So you know about Kiminski, huh?" I said lightly, trying to make conversation.

"He came through the system." Ranger replied nonchalantly. "Short Sentences Man" strikes again.

"Did you tell Julie we were coming down?" He nodded his small nod matched with a slight smile.

"She's very excited." He kept his eyes on the road but I knew he was excited too. Well, as much as he'd let himself be. Tank had told me recently that despite what Ranger tells everyone about danger and getting close, he cherishes the phone calls he has with Julie and that he sets aside special time to talk to her. "Not that he would admit to having a human emotion," I thought with an eye roll. Ranger must have noticed because he turned his head a fraction in my direction. "Serious thoughts, Babe?" I realized I had my eyebrow furrowed and shook my head as it smoothed out.

"I was just…" Thankfully, saved by the crazies on the stoop, I didn't have to respond. At that moment, we pulled up to the curb of my parent's house. There my mother and grandmother were, standing on the porch. Which was a bad sign.

"Stephanie, you're a minute and a half late!" My mother said when we got to the steps. "The pot roast will be dry. Hurry up." She clicked her tongue and shook her head in shame. You never come between a house wife and her pot roast in the Burg. But compared to a talk about emotions with Ranger, burning the pot roast was a good trade off. Yeah, I'm a chicken shit. What of it? Grandma Mazur was bouncing on her weak feet and knobby knees as much as she could without toppling over.

"Ivan is eating dinner with us and then we're going to the Wittwiki viewing." She smiled up at me with pride.

"And Ivan is?" Please say a date, please say a date.

"My new man butter. We met at the Skip-Bo tournament the Community Center had last week. He's not a real talker on account of he falls asleep a lot, but he's the youngest live-in at Water's Edge."

"Well, way to go, Grandma. Gotta get 'em while they're young," I said as I high fived her.

"I've been saying it for years." Grandma turned and Ranger and I followed her into the dining room and then I walked right back out to the foyer without taking my coat off. My mother, ever so clever and sneaky, got to the door before I did and turned me around, shoving me back into the dining room.

"Now, Stephanie. It's not often that everyone is able to gather for family dinner. Sit."

"No way, no how. Forget about it." At the table sat my older sister Valerie, her husband, Albert, and their spawn… Ahem, I mean my lovely nieces. My father, my grandmother, her date Ivan, who had his head dipped and was softly snoring, and there were three vacant spots. For my mom, Ranger and me. "This has disaster written all over it."

"You'd be doing your mother a favor." I was shaking my head so she tacked on, "I made Pineapple-Upside Down cake." She tilted her head toward me with a look of desperation. I pretended to consider it for a second.

"Pass." I grabbed Ranger's hand and began to turn around but my horse loving niece spoke the magic words.

"I stuck my finger in the cake. It's really yummy," MaryAlice said happily. "And there's ice cream."

"Did you stick your finger in that too?" I asked with a smirk.

"Yup!" MaryAlice said with a giggle.

"Good Girl." I smiled at her. My mother leaned into my ear to bargain.

"I'll let you take the whole cake home." I decided to give her a break.

"Throw in the ice cream and we have a deal." She smiled with relief at me.

"Done." My mom pulled out my chair for me and returned to the kitchen to get dinner.

Family dinners are always excruciating. With Valerie's ever expanding family, the arm space at this table gets smaller and smaller. As a result, Ranger and I were incredibly close. Electrically close. It did not go unnoticed because a few minutes in, Ranger draped his arm over the back of my chair. My father had his head down, vision locked on his pot roast. His focus is always on the food. It's the only way he's able to stay sane sitting beside Grandma Mazur. There are the occasional glances that speak volumes about his heart's desire, but my mother is good about defusing the situation before he reaches for his steak knife. In short, by the time I leave, I usually need a margarita and Tylenol. Tonight was no different.

"I've decided what I'm going to do with my life," Valarie stated. My mother's ears perked up at this. "I'm going to be a Bunny." My mother choked on her "iced tea" and Ivan, who had been snoring next to Grandma Mazur, snapped to attention.

"Like, one of them boob women with the rabbit ears?" asked Grandma Mazur.

"Yup. We rented 'The House Bunny' and I was inspired. Of course, I need to lose a few pounds. Well, and I need to do a little something about my sag." Valarie poked her right breast and it sunk in like Pillsbury dough and then filled back out on its own. "That's nothing that a slim-fast shake and a water bra won't fix, though," she said brightly. Albert, obviously curious, also poked Valerie's boob. Followed by MaryAlice. "I guess I'm going to have to get used to being handled if I'm going to be a Bunny," she said as she continued to poke herself in the chest.

"Dear God," my father remarked and shoveled a spoon of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"You know, I never noticed the differences in boobs until we had kids," Albert said. "There's squishy, firm, bouncy, saggy, gigantic. For instance, these are squishy. Like pillows. Like big flabby skin pillows. Which sounds kind of yucky." As he said this, Albert took both hands and pawed Valerie's boobs, measuring their texture.

"Well, they aren't going to be perfect, Albert!" Valerie snapped. "Children suck the beauty out of a woman. Tell him, Mom!" Before she had time to react, Albert turned in his chair and cupped my mother's breasts. She yelped, slapped his hands away and retreated into the kitchen where I'm sure there was a man named Jack waiting for her in a cupboard somewhere.

"Maybe you're right, Snoogie Bear, hers are pretty saggy. But she's pretty old too. That's probably why." Next to me, I could feel Ranger shaking with quiet laughter. Grandma Mazur turned in her chair and before I knew what had happened, I had been violated by my own grandmother. I had a delayed reaction of jerking away from her and I knocked into Ranger, who was not hiding his laughter anymore.

"Hmmm. Stephanie here has pretty firm twins. That's a nice set. You probably inherited those from me. I was quite the knock out in my day," Grandma Mazur said.

"Yeah, Stephanie looks like she's got two bouncy ladies on her," Albert remarked. Valerie reached across the table to touch me and I slapped her hand away.

"Here get a load of these." Grandma Mazur got up and walked around the table to Albert and he grabbed and pawed at her breasts.

"Yeah, there's not a lot of difference between you and Mrs. Plum. But, I'm not a boob expert either," Albert said.

"Well, I also forgot to put my bra on today. I figure a lady my age doesn't really need to worry about containment anymore," said Grandma Mazur, with Albert still touching her.

Next to me, Ranger had still not fully composed himself and I looked up at him with despair but I could tell he was too amused to save me from Plum Hell.

Grandma Mazur sat back down next to me and dinner continued. My mother finally came back and sat at the table, looking a bit more relaxed but sat turned away from Albert. Conversation quieted down while everyone worked on consuming their dinner and I thought this would be the perfect time to announce my news.

"So, I've got a bit of a thing going on. Thought I'd clue everyone in…" I said apprehensively. Ranger still had his arm around the back of my chair and he chose this moment to put his hand at the base of my neck in support. He started to gently rub away my tension and instead of giving me courage it was sending vibrations to my 'downstairs mix-up.' Valarie got really excited and interrupted me before I could continue.

"Are you considering being a Bunny too? We could do it together. Like a twin thing. Only we're not twins. We could be 'Sisters of Jersey' or 'Hoes of Hamilton,' something catchy like that! It'd take on, everyone loves sisters and twins." Albert was nodding his head in agreement when Grandma Mazur gasped at my side.

"Look at this, Ivan's soldier is standing at attention. That never happens," Grandma Mazur said excitedly. Ivan looked down and was surprised himself.

"I'll be, look at that," Ivan said curiously.

"We should probably take advantage of that." Grandma grabbed Ivan's hand and shuffled him into the living room.

"Sweet Jesus," my father remarked, taking another stab at his pot roast. Sounds from the living room carried into the dining room. It sounded like a herd of buffalo stampeding through a river. My father threw down his fork and knife and yelled. "Not on my recliner, damnit!" Seconds later we heard shuffling and then the front door closed. My father picked his fork and knife up again and proceeded to continue with his dinner.

"Where are they going do you think?" Valarie asked with a mouth full of potatoes.

"Oh, I think she said Ivan drove here. Which I'm sure isn't going to be comfortable at their age. Car sex is still pretty tricky at our age," Albert said. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my mother cross herself and pray to the heavens. She retreated back to the kitchen when Ivan's car alarm started to go off. The rest of dinner was pretty calm. Compared to the previous half anyhow. Soon, the troops started to dissemble. It started with Valarie and Albert cleaning up their children and saying their goodbyes to my mother and father. My mother kept her distance from Albert and settled for a handshake instead of a hug. My father retreated into the living room to watch whatever sports program he could find and my mother gathered the last of the plates on her way into the kitchen.

"Well. We're done here," I said to Ranger and put my napkin on the table. Surely my own mother couldn't blame me for not getting a chance to tell her my news after tonight's events. "I'm leaving now. I want my cake," I said loudly toward the kitchen.

My mother responded by calling me to the kitchen to come get it. Uh oh. If she didn't bring my leftovers out to me at the table that meant I had to go into the kitchen for them. That meant she wanted to "talk." I looked at Ranger and gave him a look of defeat.

"You better go make yourself comfy in the living room. I have my own murder to attend." Ranger gave a soft chuckle and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. I could feel the blush in my cheeks as he traced my jaw line.

"Go get 'em, Tiger." As we got up he gave my butt a light smack in support and made his way to the living room. I pushed the door to the kitchen open and I could already feel my left eye start to twitch. I stood next to my mother at the counter. She was calmly doing the dishes but didn't initiate conversation so I knew I had to do something.

"Cake?" Stephanie Plum, winning conversationalist.

"In the Tupperware on the table." Her tone wasn't upset or mad but it was definitely no nonsense.

"Ice Cream?"

"In the gallon plastic bucket in the freezer." Jackpot. She always knew how to suck me in. I waited through about twenty seconds of silence before I just couldn't stand it anymore.

"Questions?"

"They're not coming," she said nonchalantly.

"What? Since when do you not want to take an opportunity to stick it to me or tell me what I'm doing wrong with my life?" I said with more sarcasm than necessary. My mother put the dish she had just finished rinsing off in the dish drainer, set her towel on the counter and looked at me.

"Stephanie, if you don't stop dancing around that boy and let him marry you, you'll wind up alone and Grandma Bella will put the eye on you anyway."

"Joe and I did not break up, Mom." She was feeling out her lie detector to see if I was telling the truth.

"But you're here with Ranger?" I sighed and decided if I was going to have this talk I needed that cake and ice cream. I got both of them out and sat at the table. I neglected using a dish and just stuck a fork in the cake. I could see my mother struggle not to grab me a plate herself.

"We're just friends. Joe is underground and…" I used this time to take a bite of cake. "I'm fwyng to Miwami foowa week."

"Business?" She never missed a beat. She poured herself a cup of coffee from the maker next to the sink and eyed me suspiciously as she sat across the table from me.

"Business," I responded and followed up with a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth. I swallowed and added, "Kind of… Julie, Ranger's daughter… She has a birthday coming up and she wants me at the party."

"So you'll be spending time with his daughter?" I nodded and she sipped her coffee.

"I'm going to say something to you that you're going to think is very odd." She rarely warned me before she threw something odd my way so I decided to keep my wise cracks to myself. "I'm not saying this as your mother, Stephanie. I'm saying this as someone who cares about you." She took another sip of her coffee and set it down thoughtfully. She looked at me very seriously. "You can only have one of them. Think very carefully about what you do when you're in Miami." I rolled my eyes and scoffed a tiny bit.

"I don't need to know about the birds and the bees, Mother, and I don't need a lecture about being faithful. It's not like that. There are a lot of people coming to Miami for Julie's party."

"First, I don't mean cheating. I mean his daughter. You're getting involved with his daughter. That's serious. Second, it is like that, Stephanie. I see the way he looks at you. If you're too busy looking somewhere else to notice that-"

"It's more complicated than that, Mom."

"Love is not complicated, Honey. You either do, or you do not. You know I prefer Joe for you. Ultimately, though, it is not my decision. Now, I'll bother you up and down about your job, because that's my jurisdiction. But who you spend your life with is yours. All I'm saying is you can only have one of them. But be careful, because your actions have consequences on whichever person you choose and do not choose and those attached to those said persons." She looked at me with satisfaction while I sat there with my dropped jaw. I couldn't even remember the last time she was that honest or that willing to talk about something without throwing preconceived notions about who I'm supposed to be in my face. "I'm done," she said as if to clarify. I just kind of nodded. "Take your leftovers." I nodded again and picked up my things, ready to go. I hugged her goodbye and entered the living room in a daze. After saying goodnight to my father, I followed Ranger out to the car, still mystified over my conversation with my mother.

"Babe?" I shook the fog away and looked up at Ranger who was holding my door open for me. The ride back to my apartment was quiet… and awkward. Like he knew what my mom and I had talked about. Ok, so probably I was just paranoid. This whole week was just getting ridiculous. Everyone is getting so nosey and so presumptuous. All this talk about choosing someone. When did that happen? Just a month ago it was, 'When are you and Joe going to settle down?' or 'When are you and Joe going to make babies?' And now it's, 'When are you going to decide who you want to be with?' I don't recall any conversations with the Merry Men about indecision. Do I? No. You know why? Because it's not like that and they know it. Ranger has never spoken a word about even being an option, outside of my bed, that is. That hardly calls for the making of a decision about my life.

When we pulled up to my apartment building neither of us moved. He sighed. Not a light breath of air like his usual equivalent of a sigh, a real, honest to God sigh. I looked at him, shocked, but he didn't look at me and neither of us said anything. After a few minutes, I started to get antsy and was trying to decide whether or not to just go when Ranger finally spoke up.

"We need to talk."

"I'm not going to eat this whole cake tonight, I swear." Ranger smiled but I could tell that's not what he meant from his expression.

"This trip might change a few things," he said as he looked at me, blank face in place. He could tell I was confused by the look on my face so he kept going. "In Trenton, there's my business, Tank, Bobby, Lester, and you… In Miami, I have family. A daughter, brothers, sisters, mother, father…"

"I think that you just saw how family goes in my life. I think we'll be ok," I said, lightly laughing it off. I was also trying not to get too excited that he listed me as something he valued about his time in Trenton.

"Stephanie, I have different responsibilities in Miami that require me to be a slightly different person." He still had his mask in place and it was getting a little frustrating, especially when he spoke in riddles and lacked facial expressions.

"What the hell does that mean?" I said a bit annoyed.

"It means that you're going to see a different side of me. I don't want you getting confused." He had fully turned in his seat and was burning a hole into my eyes. My pulse started to quicken and on top of the confusion, I could feel myself starting to crack.

"Confused about what?"

"The changes," he said slowly.

"What changes?" I was starting to get tired of this two word bullshit and decided I'd throw it right back at him.

"Between you and I," he responded slowly. I bit my lip unsure of what to say. "Professionally and personally." I choked a bit on my own air. The talk. The one I've been trying to avoid. The one time I threw my hat in the ring he wanted to talk about Julie. My brain froze for a second and then just as quickly, my brain grabbed for the only thing it knew how to do when I was pressured and confused. Quick. Get Angry. Yell a lot. That's exactly what I started to do. Yell.

"What the hell, Ranger? What does that even mean? Oh what, you think that if you're not some big shot bounty hunting man in Miami and you show a shred of human emotion I'll think something of it? Oh, no. Don't worry about that. Why would I ever think you have feelings?" I put my hand on the door handle and was ready to storm off in a rage but Ranger grabbed my arm and turned me toward him. He looked dead serious but the muscle in his jaw was tightening so I knew he was trying to stay calm. Controlled Ranger. I tried to look away but he slipped his hand behind my head and forced me to look into his eyes.

"It means that if things change between us while we're in Miami, the stolen kisses, the innuendos, the touching. It won't be enough anymore. So if I have to put distance between us, I don't want you getting confused about why." He pulled me into him till our faces were so close I could feel his breath on my lips. I could see the heat in his eyes and in response I unconsciously licked my lips. That was all it took. He brought his lips to mine forcefully, demanding. He kissed me like it could possibly be the last time and the thought made me so scared and desperate for more that I opened my mouth. He took my invitation and when our tongues touched it felt electric. From my mouth to my fingertips to my very core, I felt him everywhere. It felt like forever as we were touching, tasting, trying to remember every bit of each other. When he pulled away our breathing was labored and his words came crashing back to me.

"Say again?"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… Enjoy!

Rated: Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing.

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen

Category: Babe

**Previously, on Hell Bent Fourteen:**

"_It means that if things change between us while we're in Miami, the stolen kisses, the innuendos, the touching. It won't be enough anymore. So if I have to put distance between us, I don't want you getting confused about why." He pulled me into him till our faces were so close I could feel his breath on my lips. I could see the heat in his eyes and in response I unconsciously licked my lips. That was all it took. He brought his lips to mine forcefully, demanding. He kissed me like it could possibly be the last time and the thought made me so scared and desperate for more that I opened my mouth. He took my invitation and when our tongues touched it felt electric. From my mouth to my fingertips to my very core, I felt him everywhere. It felt like forever as we were touching, tasting, trying to remember every bit of each other. When he pulled away our breathing was labored and his words came crashing back to me._

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter Seven-**

The Cayenne was filled with the sound of our fast paced breathing and not much else. I closed my eyes and I could feel Ranger burning holes into my skin with his fixed stare. It felt like minutes before either of us had said anything. The silence was killing me. I'm not a good-things-come-to-those-who-wait type of person. Patience has never been my virtue but I sat and waited for the right words to come. I couldn't think of what to say to him after his confession of sorts. I kept coming up with sentences in my head and stopping in the middle of them because I wasn't sure what I should be confessing. Tag, you're it. I never won at tag.

"That was… unexpected. I'm not sure what to say," I said without bravado. I felt the intensity in the car shift into an unfamiliar charge. Whatever Ranger thought he was going to hear, that obviously wasn't what he was expecting.

"You don't have to say anything," Ranger said shortly. This caught me by surprise. Although, why the fact that this man is always surprising me, still surprises me, I don't know. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to take from that or this conversation in general. "The stolen kisses, the innuendos, the touching. It won't be enough anymore," I repeated in my head.

"What was that supposed to mean?" I opened my eyes to look at Ranger. He was facing forward and I couldn't recall a time when he'd felt more distant from me.

"It was a statement." Ranger's blank face was in place but despite his hard work, I had been getting pretty good at reading the little things. Things like his jaw movement, how hard his eyes were, and his tone. He was shutting me out, which meant he probably didn't mean to say what he did, caught up in the moment and all that.

"Is your God-like control slipping or is that regret on your face?" I snapped in response.

"I said it for a reason, Stephanie." Ranger looked at me for a second and I saw a brief flicker of emotion but it was gone before I could identify it.

"So tell me." I folded my hands in my lap trying to be patient but only reminded myself of a four-year old trying to behave.

"I am not comfortable elaborating without something more reliable from you," Ranger said, finally turning to look at me and give me his attention. My left eye involuntarily twitched and I felt my blood pressure rise.

"That sounds like an ultimatum."

"It was a statement," Ranger responded, clearly amused by my reaction.

"So you keep saying." I rolled my eyes to add to the effect. "I don't do ultimatums."

"It was a statement," Ranger reminded me again.

"You're really pissing me off." Ranger lightly chuckled. Irritated, I opened the passenger door and got out. I looked at him, contemplating whether to yell at him or just storm off.

"When you're done running from this, I'll be more than happy to readdress the issue," Ranger said calmly.

"Address this," I said and added an Italian hand gesture. Ranger smirked as if I were a tiny kitten brandishing tiny kitten claws. I slammed the Cayenne door and watched him drive out of my lot. "You're the one who chased me here," I muttered to the wind.

I had just walked in and hung up my purse when my answering machine clicked on.

"Yeah, I know the drill. I keep callin', this thing beeps it's ass off and you never answer yo' damn phone. I'm just gonna keep calling, white girl." Click. I smiled. You can always count on Lula to brighten your day. Literally and figuratively, she owns a lot of neon spandex. The phone rang again and I answered it before the machine picked up again.

"Yo."

"Yo, what's up?" Lula asked. I heard deep bass and Kanye West's voice in the background. Even over the phone my fillings rattled.

"You called me," I said as I walked to the kitchen to put away my left over's.

"I know, I've been calling all night. Where you been?"

"In Hell…" I unintentionally sighed which made my comment sound much more dramatic. 

"Oooh, I know that voice. Dinner with Momma Plum?"

"And Poppa Plum and Prodigal Daughter Plum and the Plum Grandchildren," I told Lula, trying to smooth out my eye twitch.

"Probably, you wanna unwind for a bit?" Lula asked, all too innocently.

"Probably..." I said, wary of what I was about to get myself into.

"So's if I said I know where to get a good two-for-one extra-large margarita special, you would…"

"Probably ask you to be here in ten minutes so we can share the cab I'm going to call at the end of the night because I'm too drunk to drive." I heard a knock on the door and walked out of the kitchen, hoping it wasn't anyone who was going to get in the way of my extra-large margarita. "Hold on, someone's at the door." I slid back the deadbolt and there stood Lula, in a neon blue lycra tube top with a neon blue zebra stripped lycra mini-skirt. She had spiral curls tonight in a tri-fecta of color: brown, blonde and neon blue. I'm sensing a pattern here. "That was fast."

"Maybe we should call the girls," Lula said smiling. I let her in the apartment and started to dial Mary Lou.

"Mary Lou? It's Steph..." Lula made a pumping fist action in victory.

"Damn Skippy."

* * *

You know the best thing about being drunk? Things always seem much better in your head. For instance, after my fourth extra-large margarita, in my head, Lula, Mary Lou, Connie and I were very _Sex & the City_ sashaying around on the dance floor. In reality, we were three white chicks with jersey hair and an ex-ho in lycra, stumbling around drunkenly trying to gyrate to the nightclub music. This didn't go on much longer because we had all drank way too much and our heads were already spinning without the help of our unsteady movements and the neon lights built into the dance floor. We sat down at a round table to the side of the dance floor to catch a breather. The sitting part was trickier than it sounded because they had tall bar stools and I was a drunk in heels. I finally managed to get comfortable when the waitress brought us another round of margaritas. I was feeling pretty good and thought I looked even better. I was wearing my new lilac halter scoop-neck dress. The dress fell mid-thigh and had the perfect combination of cleavage and tightness and it went great with my new silver _Chinese Laundry_ dress sandals I bought at Macy's. They had a subtle snakeskin texture with an ankle strap and a three-inch heel. They were called "Fire It Up," and were on sale for $50 and made me feel incredibly sexy.

"You know… this is exactleeee what I needed. No men, just the ladiessss," I slurred. I didn't usually allow myself to get drunk. I'm a lightweight and it never goes well for me the next day. But, I felt like I had earned the right to cut loose. I hadn't actually done anything to earn it, but I had survived the past few days' events and that was enough for me to justify it. "All men do is make things fuzzy. Ranger does it with words and Joe does it with sex. Lots, of hot, dirty sex. Which, confuses me because I like hot, dirty sex. Does that make me a bad person? Huh?"

"Absolutely not!" Mary Lou and Connie rallied together. "Hell to the no!"

"You know what yo' problem is?" Lula asked. Sounded rhetorical to me so I just shrugged, almost falling off my bar stool. "You run too much. You got two of Trenton's hottest at yo' feet and you just run. Run. Run. Run. Why you run so much?"

"I don't. Yuck, I hate exercise." Lula gave me a look that said, "You know that's not what I meant."

"You've always been that way, Steph, even in high school. It's your m.o.," Mary Lou said while sipping her margarita.

"Whoa. Just whoa." I put up my hands. "This is ladies' night out. Not intervention night. We're supposed to be man hating right now."

"See, you're doing it right now. Denial. That's the biggest gun in your arsenal. If I could explain you in one word it would be denial-er... denial-doer… denialist. Yes! Denialist," Connie added. "Do you know how lucky you are? Having them both chase after you? Shit, Steph."

"They aren't chasing me exactly. It's different. Wrong." I put my hands up like I was weighing my options. "On the one hand, Joe. Who wants to get married and have babies. Ew. On the other hand, Ranger. Who just wants to have wild sex but doesn't want me to have wild sex with anyone else. What about what I want?"

"Pssshhhh, you don't know what you want, white girl. That's why you at this club right now, 'stead of in one of their beds, telling 'em what you want, what you really really want." Lula started to giggle to herself for making a Spice Girls reference.

"Oh... okay, you think it's so easy. I'll do it right now." I grabbed a pen out of my clutch and a napkin. I labeled one side Ranger and one side Joe and then made two columns for each. Pros and Cons. "We'll sort this out right now." The girls saw what I was doing and started clapping and making hooting noises.

"Okay, first. Joe. Pros are…" I started listing them. "Great sex. Loves me. Nice. Reliable. 80% sure he's faithful. What else… what am I missing?" I thought for a minute and Mary Lou squealed.

"Ooooh, write down 'hot hair.' I love that man's hair," Mary Lou said dreamily. So I added it to the list. Hot hair. "Okay, now do cons."

"Hmmmm, cons…" These came easily. "Hot head. Hogs the covers. Annoying as fuck about my job. Crazy Grandma. Crazy family in general. Tad sexist. Don't know if I'm _in_ love with him. Wants marriage and babies. Again, I say ew… Doesn't trust me. Always trying to change me…" I scoffed out loud and covered the list with my hand. "This is depressing. Let's do Ranger."

I flipped the napkin over and started on Ranger's lists of pros and cons. I wrote down 'in love with him' in the pros section and the column just started to fill itself. Supportive about my job. Always there for me. Never expects me to be anything but what I am. Actually listens to what I say. Considerate. Has a fantastic daughter. Best. Sex. Ever. I started getting heated thinking about the sex so I moved on to the cons. Secretive. Only wants me for sex. Keeps me at distance. I tapped the pen on the table trying to think of things I don't like about Ranger. Does he even care for me beyond the bedroom? I thought that was a good point so I wrote it down too. I looked at the list to see what else to add and was at a complete loss.

"I don't know what to put down. I guess that's the problem. I don't know where I stand with him…" I looked at the list and frowned.

"Well, look at the list Stephanie. You have 'hot hair' for Joe and 'in love with him' for Ranger. What does that tell you?" Connie chipped in.

"Hey! Not fair! Mary Lou told me to put it on the list! None of it counts anyway, it's on a bar napkin." I folded the list up and stuck it in my clutch. "This has just been the weirdest week. Morelli wants commitment and my mother took me seriously for once… And she offered me advice that I think might be legit. I'm with Morelli. I thought that's what I wanted. But, I can't quit thinking about Ranger. Nothing has changed in our friendship but, now there's all this talk about choosing. I didn't even know I had an option!"

"Your ass just needs to go balls deep. Give Officer Hottie the boot and tell Batman you love him," Lula said while sucking the last of her margarita up in her straw.

"Oh yeah, that'd do a lot of good. He said once he loved me in his own way and then from there out the only comments he's made were about getting in my pants. Yeah, he's all over that boyfriend thing." Mary Lou threw her hands out to indicate she was about to say something.

"Look Steph, here it is. You think he's after sex. You don't know for sure what he's thinking. He doesn't know what you're thinking. Quit being such a little bitch and just tell him!" Lula laughed and gave Mary Lou a high five.

"Do you love Joe, Steph?" Connie asked thoughtfully.

"I have definite strong feelings for him."

"But you can't say it. You can't say you are in love with him. And look! You even wrote it down on a napkin for Ranger. I mean… Why isn't that enough for you?" I thought about it for a minute and saw through a bit of the cobwebs for once when it came to what I wanted. I've never thought about it that way. I guess if I want Ranger as an option, instead of being confused, I could just talk to him and try to make it happen. But, it's a two way street and that's where the chicken shit part of me comes in. A fast beat song with a heavy bass came on and before I knew what was happening, Lula was pulling us all onto the dance floor. I was happy for the distraction. Less relationship talk, more dancing, please.

"This is my song! Love this fuckin' song!" Lula yelled while attempting to booty-bounce like Beyonce. That's a whole lot of woman in not a lot of spandex.

I decided to lose myself to the music and put my problems away for later. That's why I'm here anyway, right? I was moving my hips to the beat and swaying my head to the words when Lula started saying something at me. I leaned closer to her but she was walking away and waving for me to follow her. I grabbed Connie and Mary Lou and we followed Lula to the bar where, despite her plus size nature, she climbed the bar and started dancing on top of it. I contemplated joining but it didn't take me long to jump up there too. I'd always loved Coyote Ugly. I looked at the bartender to see if he minded and judging by the view he was getting up my dress, I'd say definitely not. I was laughing with the girls, having a good time and for the first time in a few weeks I felt completely relaxed. All the tension I'd been feeling was let go and replaced by something more harmonious. Whether it was because of the booze or the clarity for once about my love life, I have no clue. But, I was enjoying myself and that was the goal of the night.

I felt a tug on my hand and I stumbled to catch my balance. I looked around thinking I had tripped on something but, I didn't get much time to survey before I was yanked off the bar. A couple martini glasses fell with me and shattered on the floor where I landed. I could feel glass imbedded in my hands when I tried to push myself off the floor and I sucked in air. Someone grabbed me by my shoulders and hoisted me to my feet. My head started spinning and I heard Lula yelling at the person to get their hands off me or she'd cut them like a Thanksgiving turkey. I was shoved back into the bar and my head snapped back, clamping my teeth together. I put my hand out to steady myself and I started to recover. The face looked familiar but it took me a moment to get my bearings before recognition set in.

"Yeah, that's fucking right. Now you see who I am, bitch." James Gonzalez. Small world. It just figures the night I stumble across him I'm three sheets to the wind and the only weapon I have in my clutch is my Revlon lipstick and a canister of breath spray. That's what I'll do, freshen his breath till he cries and gives himself up.

"What the hell is your problem, Gonzalez? Where do you get off handling-" I didn't even get through my sentence before Gonzalez pushed me again and interrupted me.

"Gonna tell you what my problem is. You think you can come up in my turf? You think I dunno you be lookin' for me? You think my girl don't tell me everything?" Gonzalez ended each question with a poke into my chest and not only was it pissing me off, but it really hurt. I wasn't wearing a bra.

"Quit poking me, damnit!" I slapped his hand away from me. Lula, Connie and Mary Lou had gotten down off the bar and were standing to my right. Lula looked like she was ready to go into Rhino mode but the bartender yelled to us over the music.

"Hey, hey. This is not okay, take it outside. You can't be breaking club property, man." He motioned to a baseball bat next to the register. "I'll get the bouncer over here if I have to."

"No, let's take this outside, Gonzalez. I'm gonna kick your ass," I said it and started stumbling toward the door before what I said registered. In my head, I was going to demand he surrender himself or I was going to make him surrender, but in reality, I started to think this wasn't going to be that easy. Far be it for me to follow through with logical thinking when I'm drunk. When we got outside the girls formed a small semi-circle behind me on the sidewalk. The nightclub we went to was a large two story brick building near the river. It had a wide sidewalk and on a Wednesday night, no line. So we were the only ones outside. Gonzalez followed me out and started walking slow circles around me, taunting me to try something.

"Stop doing that, I'm drunk you asshole!" His circles were only making me dizzy and I was having a hard time discerning which way was up and which way was down. He kept putting his hands out and pushing me and I clumsily smacked them away, always a little too late. He did a little hop and threw his hands up like a boxer and I was still trying to stand still in one spot.

"Gonna show Ranger what happens when he messes in my business!" Gonzalez yelled at me. I had my eyes closed, trying to steady myself when I felt his fist connect with my jaw. I fell backward, down on one knee and tasted warm rust in my mouth. Note to self, never close your eyes in a fight. Bad. Very bad. I spit out what I assumed was blood and watched as Gonzalez came closer and started to circle me again.

"While you down there make yourself useful and suck me." Gonzalez said, laughing.

"Fight through the booze, Steph," I told myself. "Fight." I looked down and waited for the dizziness to stop.

"You dumb white bitch, get up!" I felt steady enough to stand up but I was so livid that I gave way to instinct.

"I'm Italian, fuckhead!" I yelled and lunged at him. I caught Gonzalez in the stomach with my head and we both fell to the ground. He was lying on the ground clutching his stomach like I knocked the air out of him. I clambered on top of him and got to my feet. My head hurt like a bitch and I had a crick in my neck. The girls started to cheer for me and I looked in their direction. "That did not work like it does in the movies."

I heard Gonzalez get up before I saw him. I felt a searing pain in my left thigh and I screamed. I looked down to see a butterfly knife sticking out of my leg. Thank God for the margaritas or I'm sure the pain would've been more than I could've handled in my drunken stupor. Regardless, the pain was still immense. "You stabbed me!" I yelled at him. "You fucking stabbed me!" Gonzalez got up and started to back away from me so I did the only thing I could think of. I pulled out the knife and threw it at him. And I thought it hurt going in. Coming out, the pain almost made me vomit. The knife sliced his arm as it sailed past him and clattered onto the pavement. He looked at me with murder in his eyes. I think there's a moment in every fight where you know you're about to lose. I felt like that was this moment. Thanks for all the prayers Mom, did a world of good.

"Steph heads up!" Lula tossed something black and small at me that hit me in the head and fell to the ground.

"Owww... Damnit, Lula! You're supposed to be helping me!" She pointed to the thing on the ground and I bent down to pick it up. It was a tazer. God bless her. I turned it on and stuck out my arm just as Gonzalez rushed me. He went down like a sack of potatoes. A sack of dirty, worthless potatoes. Fucker. I landed a kick to his stomach for good measure. I stumbled back to the girls were we attempted to high five each other but failed miserably. "Had it not been for the margaritas, that probably would have been an awesome scene in a movie," I said proud of myself.

"Yeah. Very Matrix," Lula added, laughing. Her eyes connected with something behind me and she clamed up, her face all of a sudden serious. Mary Lou and Connie both dropped their gaze to the pavement.

"What, is he waking up already?" I asked, turning to look at James Gonzalez, who was unconscious in the fetal position on the sidewalk. Nope, just the Merry Men and their leader who looked royally pissed off. I turned back to Lula with a palms up expression. Oh… wait. I turned back around. Uh oh. Ranger was standing with his arms crossed and his jaw clenched, boring holes through me with his eyes. This was the Ranger equivalent of extremely fucking pissed. I knew this look well.

"You look upset. Are you upset?" I asked Ranger innocently. I looked at the other Rangemen. Lester, Bobby and Tank, they all looked upset. "Well just so you know, I didn't go looking for him. He found me when I was dancing on the bar." I mentally smacked myself in the head. That sounds loads better, Steph. Good job. "I got him," I said cheerfully.

No one said anything and I was starting to feel very uncomfortable. Gonzalez let out a low groan from the sidewalk and Lula bent down and tazed him again. We all looked at her and she shrugged. "What? I'm drunk," she stated with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Stephanie," Ranger said angrily. "Come here." Bobby and Lester walked behind me and hauled an unconscious Gonzalez to his feet and waited for instructions from the boss on what to do with him. "Now."

"No thanks, I'm good over here." I shook my head and stumbled a little. I reached out a hand to steady myself and Lester caught it. I saw concern on his face.

"You guys, I'm fine. He saw me in the club, we came outside and we scuffled. It's over. I'm fine." Ranger motioned for Bobby and Lester to take Gonzalez to the SUV. He walked over to me and my backup, Lula, Connie and Mary Lou, dispersed. Great. Girl power.

"I made a statement," Ranger said in a very quiet, controlled voice. "I made a statement and instead of being adult and talking to me about it, you ran off to a nightclub."

"What? That's what you're mad about?" I asked confused and slightly annoyed. The adrenaline from the fight was still pumping through my system and it was only fueling my fire now. "You made a vague statement and wouldn't elaborate or explain. What the hell was I suppose to think? "It won't be enough anymore." What the shit, Ranger?" I was yelling by now. Everyone else was across the street at the SUV and I was sure they could hear me, but I didn't care. "You pushed me away, Ranger. You sent me back to Morelli when I put myself on a silver fucking platter for you and now you want me to choose but all you're offering is sex. Do you actually care about me or do you just want to fuck me?"

"Stephanie, you want to be very careful right now," Ranger said, sounding like a warning. I don't even know what he was warning me about. Not to talk about it in front of his employees? That I was overstepping my boundaries because all I am to him is a sex partner? The fact that I was talking to him like that? I didn't know. I was too drunk to care. My head was swimming, my body hurt and I just didn't have the energy to decipher his code tonight.

"Fuck you," I said as I turned and attempted to walk away. My eyes saw stars in front of them and I almost sank to my knees. I had forgotten about my leg. I looked down and finally understood why everyone was looking at me with concern. I had blood trailing all down my leg. It was more gruesome than I was prepared for and I put my hand to my wound to stop the bleeding. I turned to look at Ranger. "I'm bleeding." My last conscious thought was, "This is going to ruin my bikini look for Miami."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… Enjoy!

Rated: Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing and violence.

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen

Category: Babe

**Previously, on Hell Bent Fourteen:**

_"I made a statement," Ranger said in a very quiet, controlled voice. "I made a statement and instead of being adult and talking to me about it, you ran off to a nightclub."_

"What? That's what you're mad about?" I asked confused and slightly annoyed. The adrenaline from the fight was still pumping through my system and it was only fueling my fire now. "You made a vague statement and wouldn't elaborate or explain. What the hell was I suppose to think? "It won't be enough anymore." What the shit, Ranger?" I was yelling by now. Everyone else was across the street at the SUV and I was sure they could hear me, but I didn't care. "You pushed me away, Ranger. You sent me back to Morelli when I put myself on a silver fucking platter for you and now you want me to choose but all you're offering is sex. Do you actually care about me or do you just want to fuck me?"

"Stephanie, you want to be very careful right now," Ranger said, sounding like a warning…

"Fuck you," I said as I turned and attempted to walk away. My eyes saw stars in front of them and I almost sank to my knees. I had forgotten about my leg. I looked down and finally understood why everyone was looking at me with concern. I had blood trailing all down my leg. It was more gruesome than I was prepared for and I put my hand to my wound to stop the bleeding. I turned to look at Ranger. "I'm bleeding." My last conscious thought was, "This is going to ruin my bikini look for Miami."

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter Eight-**

As I fought through the fog of sleepiness, I was aware of two things. I was waking up when I'd rather be sleeping and even though the bed I was in wasn't mine, it was heavenly. I couldn't remember where I was or why I was here, but at the moment I really didn't care. These sheets were not to be wasted on things such as thinking. These were sleep away your day sheets or sex marathon sheets. I was lying on my stomach deciding if I should go back to sleep when I took a deep breath and inhaled a familiar scent. Ranger… Ranger's bed... Ranger's apartment… In a sleepy, delusional-fueled state of happiness I reached my arm out to touch him and snuggle closer. My whole body tensed with disappointment when I felt he wasn't lying next to me. My eyes snapped open as the night before started crashing back to me. Margaritas, dancing, more margaritas, Gonzalez… Oh no… Did I really say those things to Ranger?

I sat up quickly and felt a tight, sharp pain in my left leg. "Fuck me, that hurts!" I thought as I laid back down slowly, not wanting to stretch out my leg more than necessary. I figured I should initiate the routine injury check so I slowly wiggled my fingers and toes one by one to ensure that I hadn't lost them in the previous nights events. Five fingers, check. Ten fingers, check. Five toes, check. Ten toes, ouch! I winced with pain as I wiggled my last five toes, but at least they were there. All ten piggies could go to market still and that was good enough for me. I tried sitting up again, slowly this time, using my hands to brace my weight only to find that my hands too were hurt. When I fully sat up, I took stock of my injuries.

I had gauze wrapped around my left thigh and from the pull I felt on my skin when I moved, I was sure I had stitches. The palms of my hands were scrapped and battered, but they cuts weren't deep and there were no bruises. I took this as a good sign. I raised my hand to my face where my jaw felt sore and found a cut on the corner of my mouth where my face was obviously swollen. Alright, definitely avoiding mirrors today. It's bad enough I'll be limping for a while, I don't need to see the face of Rocky Balboa while I'm at it.

Before I started wrapping my mind around last night, I heard someone coming up the stairs. Shit. Instinct told me to lie down and pretend I'm still sleeping, logic told me I should thank Ranger for taking care of me and apologize for my behavior last night. I've never been one to deny instinct or act on much logic, so I laid back down as fast as I could without yelping out in pain and stuck my face in the pillows. I tried to regulate my breathing to really sell that I was still asleep, instead of cowering in the sheets from the big bad wolf.

Ranger came calmly into the room, flipping on the light as he made his was over to his dresser. "Are you going to pretend to sleep all day or are you going to be useful at some point?" He said, a slight edge to his tone. Ouch, guess my leg isn't the only thing that was wounded last night. No Babe, no good morning, no how ya' feeling, nothing.

I figured I've got two choices. Probably I could fess up and admit that, although completely confused about what's going on between us, I had been a royal ass last night and ask for forgiveness or, the more likely of the two, I could pretend that my life is freaking perfect. I put on a show, lifting my head from the pillows with a big, sleepy yawn. Not that Ranger noticed because he was looking in the opposite direction, very engrossed in some file on top of his dresser.

"Morning," I said just shy of cheerful. "Off to fight the bad guys and save the world again?" That's right, Steph, try light, playful banter to feel him out and see just how pissed he is. Ranger turned and gave me a look that clearly conveyed, cut the crap, I'm not amused. He returned to his file, reading, flipping pages, marking on them with a pen. "Oh, how do I feel? Great, actually," I said dryly. "What's that? No, I don't think I have a concussion. Actually I think I cou-..." Ranger interrupted.

"There is a receipt for Gonzalez in the kitchen whenever you're done doing whatever this is," he said without turning to look at me. He was very cold and calculated this morning. I've seen him act this way before, but never towards me. It definitely hurt. Without another thought about it, I took the chicken shit way out.

"Listen, I've got one hell of a hangover and things are pretty fuzzy, so I'm going to take a guess and say I did something stupid last night?" Finally, gaining some attention from the man, he turned and looked me in my eyes, probably trying to decide if I'm telling the truth or not. I pointed to my left leg, "Stitches?" I asked softly, trying to smooth over our rocky start to the morning. Ranger gave a curt nod. "So whatever stupid thing I did last night, that's why you're mad at me, right?" Ranger nodded again without breaking eye contact with me.

I sat there quietly, not sure what to say next. He wasn't really giving me any slack and I wasn't about to be all, oh, yeah, sorry about yelling at you in front of your men. I know how you like to be professional and I just shit all over that last night. I felt like he was expecting something from me but I wasn't sure what. After what felt like minutes, but was probably only ten seconds he grabbed the file he was working on along with a duffle bag he had sitting by the dresser and walked out without another word. Well, that could have gone worse, I guess. I felt exhausted physically so I set the alarm for another hour later and returned to the dreamy comfort of the sheets, but I had a fitful sleep. What wasn't interrupted by my wincing in pain every time I rolled over was interrupted by nightmares of my drunken fight with Gonzalez. Counting sheep wasn't really working for me so I decided to get up and face the day.

Slowly but surely I made my way downstairs, grabbing onto everything I could find for support. Finally, limp and all, I found myself in the kitchen. On the table was the receipt Ranger mentioned, 100% profit in my name. Usually I'd feel bad about that but I took a butterfly knife to the thigh. I'm ok with a little sympathy right now. On the table next to the file was a gift from the gods themselves or more likely, from Ella at Ranger's request. An extra large diet Coke and McDonald's fries that were still warm. Even when he's mad as hell at me, the man goes out of his way to take care of me.

With a smile on my face I sighed like a maiden from a Disney movie, "God, I love that man." I heard a cough behind me and I froze. My brain went into immediate recovery mode and I swiveled around as fast as my leg would let me to find Bobby and Tank standing in the kitchen, looking at me like the cat that ate the canary. Or the big doofs who heard me exclaim something very private of which I doubt they'll keep to themselves if I let them leave here alive. "For the fries, I love these fries. The fry god, inventor of fries, I love him. Best hangover food ever." I grabbed the fries and stuffed my mouth so I couldn't fit anymore of my foot into it.

"Morning, Bombshell," Bobby said with a huge smile. "Let's get a look at those stitches, yeah?" Bobby pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit. I like being poked and prodded as much as the next guy, but I didn't really have the patience for it this morning, so I was going with a big no on that. Not that I really thought Bobby was going to give me a choice.

"Why are you here?" I asked Tank casually while I leaned against the kitchen counter, hoping to communicate to Bobby that I was going to take my sweet time letting him examine my leg.

"Moral support," Tank said with a grin, clearly trying to rustle my jimmies.

"Thanks, Tank, but I've had stitches before, it's not exactly support group type stuff." I tried to stand tall to reinforce my point that I was fine, but it didn't feel as empowering as I hoped it would.

"Not for you, for him," he motioned towards Bobby who put a medic bag on the table and started unpacking supplies, cleaning pads, bandages, ointment and the like.

"My leg is fine, thanks. Seriously, I can hardly tell it's got stitches," I bold face lied. I don't like being inspected and I figure they've got better things to do anyway.

"Tank has orders to hold you down if you refuse to be checked on," Bobby said playfully. I rolled my eyes as I hobbled over to the chair and tried to sit delicately, which came out more as a plop. "And for the record, I love him too," Bobby said teasingly.

"It's what people say about other people who do nice things. It doesn't mean I love him love him!" I frantically said, almost coming out as a holler.

"Jeez, no need to yell, girl," Tank said as he dramatically covered his ears. "Overreact much? They're just fries." I exhaled, calming down a little. They didn't want to talk about it just as much as I didn't, they just wanted to give me shit. Fine, I can handle that. I just don't need anyone to get all Oprah on me at 9 in the morning when I'm hungover. Bobby chuckled as he unwrapped the gauze to get a good look at my stitches. He was examining my leg, prodding a little and testing how good the stitches were holding. I bit my lip to keep from telling him how it hurt and I thought about sitting on my hands so I didn't inadvertently lash out with my fist at his face either, but I figured I could probably control myself.

"The leg looks good. It'll be sore for a while, but you'll be ok. You have my all clear to get back to work. I can give you something to take the edge off for the pain without clouding your head." He applied ointment and started to wrap fresh bandages around my thigh. When he was finished he took a small pharmacy bottle out of his medic bag and put it on the counter. "One every six to eight hours and take it with a little bit of food. You good here?"

"Yes, Dad," I said as I playfully pushed his shoulder. "I'm okay, Bobby, thank you, really." He threw his arm around my shoulders and gave me a little squeeze before he packed up his bag and headed out. Tank turned to follow but I wasn't quite ready to let him leave yet. I had a few concerns about going to Miami and what that means entirely. I wasn't sure I wanted to talk to Ranger about it quite yet, especially with his Stephanie annoyance level being at an all time high. Tank was the closest person to Ranger that I could think of, maybe he could give me some answers. "Hold on there, mister." I pushed the chair out across the table from me with my good leg. "You sit, Sasquatch."

Tank sighed and dropped his head like he knew he wasn't going to get away easily, like he was expecting this. I wasn't quite sure if I was overstepping by talking to the right-hand man about his boss, but I was desperate and I wanted to get a little clarity about what was going on before I boarded that plane to Miami. And it didn't seem like I was going to get that from Ranger right now. Not with him being super pissed at me and me being the chicken shit that I am every time things get serious.

"I was wondering when this was going to happen, you and I talking about this," Tank said. He linked his hands behind his head casually and sighed. "Let's get this over with."

"Well, you did say you were here for moral support." I thought maybe breaking the ice with a joke was a sure fire win to ease into this awkward conversation, but it got no reaction from Tank. "Gee, don't shoot out of your chair in excitement. It's not exactly a roller coaster for me either. I just..." I hesitated, as is my nature, but not because I was scared, just because I wasn't sure how to say it. "I'm confused and he and I aren't really on the same page right now. We're not even on the same book."

"He's pretty pissed about you mouthing off like that last night." Tank said softly looking me in my eyes.

"I know, I was out of line. I had no right to talk to him like that, especially in front of his men. I'm going to apologize for that, I am. In my defense, there was more tequila than there was Stephanie last night. I think that should buy me some leeway." I was looking down at my lap in embarrassment of my behavior, which doesn't happen often, but if this had been any other employee/boss exchange, I would have been fired last night on the spot.

"I think he was more upset about the content of your words than how loud they were. I mean, it's not like we sat around a pint of Cherry Garcia last night talking about our feelings or anything, but he's my brother, I know a few things." I looked at Tank a little surprised.

"You think I hurt his feelings?"

"Steph, he's not a robot. I'm not going to lay everything out there for you, you guys definitely need to have a talk about what's going on, but if you think him being mad at you was solely about you undermining his authority in front of his employees, you're really in the clouds, man." Tank shook his head like he couldn't believe I was really that naive. I'd like to think it's 70% naive, 30% pure denial. But he's right, that's not for him to clear up for me, that's for me to get out of Ranger.

"I'm going to Miami for Julie's birthday."

"I know."

"Ranger said to me a long time ago that 'the Batcave is forever'. It held a lot of weight, but now... he's making it seem so trivial. Is me going really not a big deal?" My heart was pounding by this point hoping to hear Tank say it was a huge deal and at the same time hoping to hear him say I was one of many people invited and Julie just randomly sent invites to people from the phonebook. I wasn't sure which one I wanted to hear more.

"You're meeting his family and you know how private he is. Of course it's important, I shouldn't have to tell you that," Tank said with a scoff. He was holding something back, obviously internally debating if he should say what he really thought. He looked up at me, having decided. "But ultimately, to get the answers you want, you need to quit being a ten-year old and just talk with Ranger. This here, you and me, this isn't going to accomplish anything. You know that."

"Oh, and I'm supposed to lay all my cards on the table when he's given no indication that he's even in the same place as me? Why does everyone expect me to just divulge myself completely while he spends all his time being super mysterio man? In what world is that fair?" I felt like I was whining more than reasoning, but I said what I said and I was going to stand behind it. My whiny tone didn't make it any less true.

"Bombshell, open your eyes. The man has been fighting Supercop for you and you don't even see it."

"What the hell are you talking about? Sexual innuendoes does not a courtship make, Tank." I was getting pissy now. I was starting to get the feeling that this conversation was not going to end the way I hoped it would.

"He's taking you to Miami to meet his family, you really think this is just about Julie? Don't you know him at all?" Tank looked me dead in the eyes, challenging me.

"He said depending on how things go in Miami, he might need distance from me because of the whole changes thing. That doesn't really sound like a commitment, does it?" Tank shot up out of his chair, with his arms in the air.

"Jesus. H. Christ, Steph. He's putting up a safety net in case you get back and go running to Morelli again. He's human sometimes too." I was going to jump up to match his incredulous attitude, but my leg was sore so I settled for a shocked demeanor. Not that it did any good because Tank promptly turned and walked away from me, slamming the front door on his way out. I really hope this isn't the way my whole day goes today. I don't want to end every conversation with pissing the other person off. Probably not the healthiest approach. I sat at the table for a few minutes drumming my fingers on the table, trying to decide my next move when I realize I hadn't even touched my diet Coke yet. I was thinking about my situation while sipping my drink. Well, my life may be in shambles about now, but at least I have diet Coke.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the words. The characters are the work of the literary goddess JE. All will be returned with the tags still

attached. I know what you're thinking. That's crazy, return Ranger?! Don't worry, he'll be worn and washed. Doesn't that violate store

policy? Hmmm… Enjoy!

Rated: Suggested for Mature Audiences/Parental discretion advised. Lots of cursing and violence.

Spoilers: Takes place after Lean Mean Thirteen

Category: Babe

**Previously, on Hell Bent Fourteen:**

_"Bombshell, open your eyes. The man has been fighting Supercop for you and you don't even see it." _

_"What the hell are you talking about? Sexual innuendoes does not a courtship make, Tank." I was getting pissy now. I was starting to get the feeling that this conversation was not going to end the way I hoped it would._

"He's taking you to Miami to meet his family, you really think this is just about Julie? Don't you know him at all?" Tank looked me dead in the eyes, challenging me.

_"He said depending on how things go in Miami, he might need distance from me because of the whole changes thing. That doesn't really sound like a commitment, does it?" Tank shot up out of his chair, with his arms in the air._

"_Jesus. H. Christ, Steph. He's putting up a safety net in case you get back and go running to Morelli again. He's human sometimes too." I was going to jump up to match his incredulous attitude, but my leg was sore so I settled for a shocked demeanor. Not that it did any good because Tank promptly turned and walked away from me, slamming the front door on his way out. I really hope this isn't the way my whole day goes today. I don't want to end every conversation with pissing the other person off. Probably not the healthiest approach. I sat at the table for a few minutes drumming my fingers on the table, trying to decide my next move when I realized I hadn't even touched my diet Coke yet. I was thinking about my situation while sipping my drink. Well, my life may be in shambles about now, but at least I have diet Coke._

**Hell Bent Fourteen:**

**-Chapter Nine-**

I had sat at the kitchen table longer than I knew, lost in thought with Tank's words looping in and out of my mind on replay. I had no idea what had gotten into everyone the past few days, but it gave them some idea that they had a right to voice every opinion they've ever had about my love life. Normally, I'd be really pissed about that but I couldn't really muster the energy to be mad at Tank. I'd straight up asked for his opinion. Everyone seemed to be on the same wavelength though, which I found just as creepy as it was telling of my situation. The general consensus was: Ranger cares for me more than I think, I need to talk to Ranger and stop being such a little girl and running from this. Although Ranger had made himself more than clear on what his feelings were, his actions had been incredibly confusing lately. What if he's trying to tell me something and I just can't hear it? Maybe I don't want to hear it. Maybe - "Alright, Steph, it's 9 in the morning. Is it necessary to be getting all intuitive right now? Probably you should be working," I told myself. I sat in the sunny kitchen a few minutes longer. I dreaded showing my face in the control room with the Merry Men today. I'm comfortable with embarrassment, it's a natural occurrence in my life. People say home is where the heart is, but for me, embarrassment feels pretty much like home I grew up in and never left. I experience it on a daily basis, but it normally occurs because I've been rolling around in garbage or accidentally blew up a car, not because my behavior was that of an outright jackass. I wasn't sure I wanted to face the other guys after how I acted last night. Thankfully, I had two jobs and could focus my efforts elsewhere today.

The morning may have started out shitty, but I thought maybe after a shower and a change of clothes, I could see the day in a whole new light. Hopefully, a less gloomy, depressing, reeking of bad luck light. The last thing I needed was Ranger to walk in on me soapy and venerable in his shower, so I figured it'd be best to clear out before he got back from whatever Batman does at 9 a.m. on a weekday. At some point last night, I was stripped of my dress and covered with a Rangeman t-shirt and shorts, so I finished off my fries, avoided thoughts of the who or what variety of the dress changing mystery, popped one of Bobby's pills and got my gimpy ass up the stairs as fast as I could to grab my stuff. I passed by the mirror in Ranger's bedroom and shielded my eyes. I still wasn't ready to face that issue yet. It'd take more than fries and a Coke to make me feel better about my mangled face. I couldn't find my clutch, my dress or my newly purchased strappy sandal heels anywhere upstairs or in the living room. I didn't think I'd get far without shoes or car keys so I grabbed the house phone from a side table and called Lester, the only man this morning I hadn't managed to piss off.

"Santos," Lester reported into the phone with more authority than normal.

"At ease soldier, it's Stephanie," I replied playfully, mocking his serious tone.

"Bombshell. Well, well, well, what a pleasant surprise," He said, a little more relaxed. "What can I do for you this fine morning, milady?"

"Well, I'd like to venture out into the world but I have no shoes and no car. Can you help me?" I heard some commotion in the background that triggered a response from Lester that was not meant for a lady's ears. "You on the job?"

"Yeah, still working on that missing interest in Miami. Good news is, if we don't find what we're looking for in time, you'll be sharing that plane ride with me and a few of the guys. You're so lucky."

"Ranger's going to up our security for Miami?" I asked suspiciously. I get that I'm precious cargo and all, but this sounded like overkill. Ranger hadn't mentioned anything to me about what's got him on the alert, not that we're really on how was your day terms right now, but I was starting to think whatever it was, it was serious.

"Oh, Bombshell, I'll protect you," Lester said dramatically. I shook my head and chuckled. "So what did you need?"

"Oh, right. I can't find my stuff from last night and I need to get to the bonds office."

"Well, you really only had your purse thing. It's still in the SUV, but Hal has that out in the field today. I can give it to Ranger for you, you'll probably see him before you see me." I tilted my head back in memory. Thaaaat's right, Lula and I took a cab last night. I'm pretty sure that if you can't remember details like how did I get to the gettin' drunk place, it's not the greatest sign you're in the condition to drive. Which I didn't, thank God.

"Gotcha, I'll have Lula or someone pick me up. Thanks, Lester." 

"No prob, Bob," he disconnected and I dialed Lula. It rang a while before she answered but when she finally picked up, I didn't even get in "good morning" before she started having a one-sided conversation about last night.

"Hot damn, white girl. Last night was craaaaaaay-z. You ok? Of 'course you ok. Not like you could dial a phone if you were dead, right? What happened to you? I thought probably Ranger was gonna snuff you out. I thought, this is it, she's done for. Peace, love and chicken grease 'cause this bitch ain't coming back from that. You yelled at him. You yelled at Batman!" She paused to take a breath so she could gear up for round two, so I took my chance to interject.

"Lula..."

"In front of his boys! That's some ballsy shit. Cab ride home, we were all talkin' 'bout chances you get shipped somewhere real tropical. Get what I'm saying here? Third world. I'm talking Africa or some shit. You gettin' on any planes today?" My eye started to twitch and I held it down with my index finger.

"Lula..."

"'Cause I can't handle that. My nail artist's cousin's baby daddy, Tyrell, he went to Ethiopia or Mexico or something cause he got this mission from Jesus, he never been the same since. You crazy as it is, you don't need to be doing no woman vs wild camping bullshit. That's for the birds."

"LULA," I yelled, pretty sure my blood pressure had just hit an all time high.

"Damn, whatchu want, Steph, you ain't gotta yell." Lula replied almost annoyed as I was. " Shit, you called me..." She waited silently on the other end for me to speak my peace. I sighed with mixed relief and a bit of guilt for yelling at her.

"I'm sorry, it's just - I have a hangover. I'm stranded at Ranger's, can you come get me and take me to my apartment?" Lula scoffed on the other end of the phone.

"White girl yells at me but now she wants a favor..."

"I'm sorry, I really am. Doughnuts-on-me sorry even," I tempted her.

"Well, it ain't gonna be cheap. I'm feeling especially hungry today."

"Thank you, Lula."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there in ten. You better be waitin' out on that curb. I ain't got time to wait around for yo' ass." And with that, Lula disconnected. Well, I might have pissed Lula off, but Lester was fine. That's a 50% increase of my conversation skills for the day. I'll take what I can get I guess. I remembered a while ago, I had put a bag in my locker on the 2nd floor where the gym was located. It was stuffed full of workout gear that had probably never been worn and possibly still had price tags attached. If I remembered correctly, there was a pair of black stretch capris, gym shoes, a sports bra and a halter tank top along with some other toiletries. I'd never actually used the gym here, but by God, if by some miracle I wanted to or more accurately, was forced to, I'd be prepared. Currently I wasn't wearing shoes or a bra, but beggars can't be choosers and it's not like the bag would come to me, so I gathered up as much courage as I had this early in the morning and went in search of a bra.

I thanked sweet baby Jesus after every floor when the elevator didn't stop. I could care less about people seeing my face beaten up or my hair happily living in Frizztown, but it was clear I was letting the ladies fly free and with the three qualities combined, I was willing to bet I looked pretty homeless. I made it to the gym without incident and instantly felt better with a change of clothes. I gathered my hair away from my face and threw it up in a pony tail, put on fresh deodorant and was ready to take on the world. Hello world, my name is Stephanie Plum and I'm almost definitely probably ready to kick ass. As long as the ass doesn't really need kicking. And most preferably surrenders at my feet without any resistance. Too much to ask for? I think not.

I heard Lula before I saw her. The ridiculous level of bass from her rap music rumbled through the air and announced her arrival in the same way her clothes do. Bam, here I am, rock you like a hurricane. She screeched up to the curb and rolled the passenger side window down. "Sup, girl?" I opened the door and ambled into the seat with mild irritation from my leg. I don't know what pills Bobby gave me, but they were a God send. I was totally clear headed and the leg was mostly just a dull pain at this point. If I could avoid any sudden or jerky movements today, I was going to be just fine. "We goin' to Krispy Kreme and then I'm takin' you to your apartment, that the game plan?" Lula was over our earlier tiff and I exhaled with relief.

"Yes, that's the plan of our game. How was the rest of your night?" I said as we motored away from the Rangeman building. Lula's face gave way to a smile bigger than the Cheshire Cat's.

"Well, if you must know, Tank took me home on account of me being snuckered. Then we did it daily, nightly and ever so rightly." She mimicked humping motions with her body and took one hand off the steering wheel to further sell the image.

"All right, enough of that," I said and guided her hand back to the wheel. "Just get me home alive. I don't need to hear about your sexcapades, alright?"

"Why you so grumpy? Did you and Batman not spend the night playing damsel in distress and hot ass hunk who saves the day?"

"Not even close. He's pretty pissed at me and I think that's putting it lightly. He barely spoke to me this morning." I grabbed the extra pair of shades on her console and put them on so her silver tube top-hot pants combo would stop reflecting the sun's rays and jabbing them into my eye sockets.

"Hhmph, like you didn't see that coming. Whatchu gonna do about it?"

"I think I'm going to flip a coin every day and if it's tails, I'll talk to Ranger. If it's heads, I'll go back to bed. And if it's tails, I'll go back to bed."

"Wha-, but you just said - girl, we gonna do this again?" Lula looked at me and I could tell without reading her eyes through her sunglasses she thought I was being ridiculous.

"No, we're not. We're going to get doughnuts and you're going to take me to my apartment. And then I'm going to do my job. And then I'm going to talk to Ranger."

"Really?" Lula said skeptically.

"Yes, really. He's got my clutch from last night, I need it back. And he's giving me the impression that it's the ice age until I talk to him. He's going to cold shoulder me until I cave, I might as well get it out of the way before Miami." I hadn't really thought about what I was saying, I just said it. It was right though, it was time to talk to Ranger. I've been listening to numerous people tell me this the past few days, maybe it finally sunk in.

"What are you gonna say to him?" Lula asked as we pulled into the Krispy Kreme parking lot. I sat quietly for a few moments while I contemplated my options. She removed her sunglasses and looked at me intently.

"I'm gonna say, hey, Ranger, how's it going? Thanks for taking care of me last night. Oh, by the way, are you in love with me?"

"Subtle, I like your style," she chuckled.

"I don't know what I'm going to say. I don't really want to get into everything with him tonight. We don't have to figure everything out, I just want to know what's going on. With him, between us. I just want answers." I sighed with defeat as I realized I had to stop running from this.

"What about Morelli?" Lula asked me as we walked through the doors to Krispy Kreme and got in line to order.

"Nothing about Morelli. Why is everyone always asking me, what about Morelli?" I obnoxiously mouthed in a deep voice. "He's out of town and I don't know anything about anything yet, what I want, what Ranger wants. I'll know more when I get answers and then I'll be ready to make decisions." We picked out our doughnuts and I could practically hear Lula roll her eyes. I paid for the doughnuts and we walked back out to the car.

"Girl, I outta smack you upside yo' damn head. It don't work like that. This ain't some fairytale where you ask him what's up and he gonna profess his undying love for yo' ass. Besides, you know what you want, you just don't wanna admit Morelli ain't it. You usin' that man as an excuse so you don't give your heart to Ranger and get rejected and have nothing left, you just too stubborn and oblivious to see it." I buckled my seatbelt and narrowed my eyes at Lula.

"Alright, Dr. Phil, and what makes you such an expert on my thoughts and feelings?" I asked her, my question drenched with sarcasm.

"I been takin' classes online for Psychology." My mouth fell open as Lula cranked over the engine and tore out of the parking lot. "And it's Oprah to you."


End file.
